‘Big system on approach’: Special weather statement issued as weather system moves in Friday

A second weather system will move into the region Friday, bringing snow and rain. Here's Gary Archibald.

As one large weather system moved through the region earlier this week bringing heavy rain, a second system is set to move in on Friday bringing a mixture of rain, snow and a special weather statement from Environment Canada.

Earlier in the week a large weather system moved through Ontario, bringing rain, freezing rain and snowfall. But a second system currently moving through parts of the northern-central U.S. plains will impact the region starting Friday.

“In the next 24 hours, we’ll see increasing cloudiness, some gusty winds and some snow out of this system,” said CTV News Windsor Meteorologist Gary Archibald. “It’s going to be a big player for parts of Lake Huron shores and maybe with wraparound effects, parts of extreme southwestern Ontario.”

He says temperatures Friday morning will be cold enough to lead to light snowfall, but as things warm up throughout the day to a high of 3 C the precipitation will change into rain, with the potential for a rain-snow mix or freezing rain. As temperatures drop again, snow will once again fall.

“Here it comes, there it goes with snow, then rain, then snow again,” he said. “That will be the pattern.”

With this in mind, Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for the London region, warning of “very strong wind gusts” for late Friday afternoon and evening.

Winds of 60 to 70 km/h are expected to develop in the morning, with the winds expected to further strengthen to 70 to 90 km/h later in the day.

The winds will ease off Friday night, but Environment Canada warns utility outages are possible.

Archibald says that along Lake Huron, including the shoreline, Georgian Bay and the Bruce Peninsula area, upwards of 20 centimetres of snow is expected with special weather statements currently in place.

“So be careful for travelers out there,” he said. Cold enough that we’ll still be talking about flurries, that wintry mix, the next 24 to 48 hours, very active, in particular along area roads through the midwestern tier,. As mentioned, do travel safely.

Here’s a look at London’s long-range forecast

Thursday night: Partly cloudy. 30 percent chance of flurries early this evening. Wind northwest 30 km/h becoming light this evening. Low minus 7. Wind chill minus 12 overnight.

Friday: Periods of snow ending in the morning then cloudy with 60 percent chance of rain showers or flurries late in the morning and in the afternoon. Snowfall amount 2 cm. Wind southeast 20 km/h becoming south 40 gusting to 60 late in the morning then west 50 gusting to 70 late in the afternoon. High plus 3. Wind chill minus 10 in the morning. UV index 1 or low.

Saturday: Cloudy. High plus 1.

Sunday: Cloudy with 60 percent chance of rain showers or flurries. Windy. High 8.

Monday: Showers. Windy. High 11.

Tuesday: Cloudy with 60 percent chance of flurries. High minus 6.

Wednesday: Cloudy with 60 percent chance of flurries. High minus 2.