A significant winter storm is expected to hit parts of eastern Canada this week, bringing heavy snowfall, freezing rain and strong winds. Forecasters said the conditions could paralyze travel and power services and may cause damage to buildings and trees.
Marc Chenard, a meteorologist at the Weather Prediction Center, an arm of the U.S. National Weather Service, said the storm was connected to the broader severe weather pattern that has affected much of the central and Eastern United States in recent days, bringing large hail, damaging winds and strong tornadoes.
As it moves northeast, the system is expected to evolve into a winter storm as it collides with colder air.
Mr. Chenard said the storm was expected to move out of the Great Lakes region after Tuesday evening and begin spreading winter weather into parts of eastern Canada through Thursday.
“Northern Michigan into the upper peninsula of Michigan is going to see some snow from this system, too,” he said. “And then northern Maine will see some winter weather from this system on Thursday.”
In Canada, forecasters expect the most severe conditions in parts of eastern Ontario and southern and eastern areas of Quebec. Environment Canada, the country’s official weather service, has issued orange weather alerts — a level two warning within its three-tier system — for freezing rain from Wednesday through Thursday. The alerts cover Quebec City, Ottawa and Greater Montreal.
Forecasters said freezing rain totals could reach 30 millimeters, or nearly 1.2 inches, and could last for up to 24 hours. With temperatures expected to remain low afterward, forecasters warned icy conditions could linger and slow the return to normal services.
In the Chalk River area of Ontario, forecasters said localized flooding was also possible, as heavy downpours of precipitation may not freeze immediately on contact.
Heavy snowfall and strong winds are also expected in parts of southern and eastern Quebec where winter storm warnings are in place for Wednesday evening through to Thursday evening. Snowfall totals could reach up to 40 centimeters, or about 15 inches, within a 24-hour period. Winds close to 50 miles per hour could also produce blowing snow and reduced visibility near to zero at times, forecasters said.
The storm is expected to move out of the region on Thursday, however, forecasters said a couple of fast moving systems were expected to follow on Friday and Sunday, bringing mixed precipitation, including up to six inches of fresh additional snowfall.
Nazaneen Ghaffar is a Times reporter on the Weather team.
The post Another Burst of Winter Expected Across Eastern Canada appeared first on New York Times.
