Wintry weather conditions prompted warnings in seven provinces and territories Thursday.
Environment Canada issued advisories for areas of Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, Ontario, B.C., Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Yukon.
Individual warnings are in place for dozens of communities, and with forecasters warning of extreme cold, blizzards, snow squalls, potentially damaging wind and heavy rain.
Newfoundland
Dicey conditions expected in Newfoundland and Labrador range from potentially damaging wind to significant rain and snowfall in the Corner Brook, Gros Morne and Red Bay areas.
While some warnings issued Thursday morning were removed or downgraded by the afternoon, special weather statements have been issued for several other areas including St. John’s, Gander and the Avalon Peninsula. These statements issued for “most of Newfoundland,” as described by Environment Canada, warn of a snowstorm expected to hit Sunday and last until Monday morning.
Here’s a list of all 22 alerts in place in the province as of Thursday afternoon.
Quebec
As of 2 p.m. Thursday, 23 advisories, watches and warnings are in place in the province of Quebec.
Some areas are warned that up to 25 centimetres of snow may fall by Friday morning, including in the areas of Grandby, Brome and Mont-Orford. A storm surge warning was issued for the coastline from Pointe-des-Monts to Gallix, blizzard conditions are possible in the Ivujivik area, and residents of Chevery are warned of heavy rain expected until Thursday evening.
No alerts or advisories have been issued for Montreal or Quebec city as of Thursday afternoon, but the Saguenay region and other spots are under a weather advisory about blowing snow.
Ontario
Alerts issued in Ontario Thursday morning were clustered in an area between lakes Huron and Ontario, though several cities including much of the Greater Toronto Area were alert-free as of 2 p.m.
Warnings advise of lake effect snow squalls, with possible accumulation of up to 60 centimetres by Friday night. These warnings apply to Barrie, Belleville, Bracebridge, the Bruce Peninsula, Hanover, Innisfil, Lindsay, Listowel, Newmarket, Orillia, Owen Sound, Peterborough, Wingham-Blyth and others.
While they are not under a more serious warning, several communities are expected to see heavy snowfall at times, according to weather advisories and watches. These advisories were issued or renewed Thursday afternoon for Goderich, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Parry Sound, Stratford, Woodstock and elsewhere.
A snow squall warning was issued Thursday for an area including Sault Ste. Marie as well, with accumulations of up to 20 centimetres in the forecast.
A total of 27 warnings and advisories are in place as of 2 p.m. Read all the alerts here.
Nunavut
Just one warning is in effect in Nunavut as of Thursday for the Resolute area.
In Resolute – one of Canada’s northernmost communities with a population of less than 200, as of 202 – wind chill values were expected to be as cold as -55 Thursday and into Friday morning.
A previous warning of “sustained blizzard conditions” for Naujaat was no longer in effect by 2 p.m. Thursday.
Northwest Territories
Yellowknife is just south of one of three swaths of the Northwest Territories under weather warnings Thursday.
Alerts for an area along the Mackenzie River, as well as the North Slave Lake and Lutsel K’e regions, warn of “a multi-day episode of very cold wind chills” expected to last until Monday. Forecasters say the wind chill, which could be near -50 at times, is enough that frostbite can develop within minutes.
While there was no warning in place for the territorial capital as of Thursday afternoon, residents are warned of wind chill values around -45.
British Columbia
A single weather warning in British Columbia warned of extreme cold in the area of Dease Lake.
Forecasters said wind chill values may feel as cold as -45 to -50 Thursday afternoon, before rising into the -20s.
Yukon
Residents of much of Yukon are also warned of extreme cold with similar wind chill values. The warning there applies to communities including Dawson, Dempster, Mayo, Beaver Creek and Old Crow, among others.
The extreme cold is expected to stick around through Sunday, the forecast says.
No warning is in place for Whitehorse as of Thursday, but wind chill values between -32 and -37 are expected in the capital.
