Messy weather bears down on region

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT

ENVIRONMENT CANADA

A MESSY WINTER STORM BEGINNING OVERNIGHT THURSDAY.

A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM DEVELOPING OVER THE AMERICAN ROCKIES WILL BRING A MESSY WINTER STORM TO MUCH OF NORTHERN ONTARIO BEGINNING LATE THURSDAY NIGHT OVER THE NORTHWEST AND REACHING NORTHEASTERN ONTARIO BY FRIDAY MORNING.

OVER NORTHWESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL ONTARIO, PERIODS OF SNOW POSSIBLY MIXED WITH ICE PELLETS ARE EXPECTED.  

THE EXCEPTION IS FOR AREAS NEAR THE MINNESOTA BORDER AND LAKE SUPERIOR SHORE WHERE RAIN MAY BE  PREDOMINANT.  

THERE IS ALSO THE POTENTIAL FOR PERIODS OF FREEZING RAIN OVER SOME AREAS.  

CURRENT MODEL INDICATIONS SUGGEST THAT UP TO 5 TO 10 CM OF SNOW MAY BE POSSIBLE BY FRIDAY MORNING IN THE HEAVIEST BAND OF SNOW, HOWEVER AMOUNTS WOULD BE REDUCED IF MIXING WITH ICE PELLETS OR FREEZING RAIN OCCURS.

OVER NORTHEASTERN ONTARIO EARLY FRIDAY MORNING, PRECIPITATION MAY BEGIN WITH A PERIOD OF FREEZING RAIN BEFORE TRANSITIONING TO RAIN LATER IN THE DAY.

ENVIRONMENT CANADA METEOROLOGISTS ARE FOLLOWING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS STORM CLOSELY.  PLEASE MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS AND WARNINGS FROM ENVIRONMENT CANADA AT WWW.WEATHEROFFICE.GC.CA

*************************