Wet & Windy

The snow and wind has brought travel to a standstill across South Dakota.

A strong storm centered over the upper US plain states is moving north into Ontario today. An equally strong frontal system associated with the storm is separating very cold arctic air from warm, moist Gulf of Mexico air on the east side. The result has been copious amounts of moisture streaming northward along the front. This frontal boundary is forecast to continue to move very slowly eastward over the next 24 hours and be the focus for very heavy rain in our region. The rain will begin today over Ontario and spread slowly northeast across Quebec and New York. The rain will become very heavy at times overnight and into Wednesday with the potential for some flooding. Temperatures will be very mild ahead of the front, approaching 10C, but drop rapidly behind the front towards the freezing point overnight Wednesday. Any leftover rain at that time will switch over to snow.

At this time a heavy rain event is forecast with Heavy Rainfall Warnings in effect for all of eastern Ontario and western Quebec. Flood Watches are posted for upstate and western New York. Between 40 and 80mm of rain is expected. In addition to the rain strong southwest winds are forecast to develop and gust up to 90km/h. Wind warnings and advisories will likely be needed later today.

This storm is producing all kinds of severe weather. On the western side of the system 20-30cm of snow is falling from the Rockies across the Dakotas and into Minnesota. Winds are creating near zero visibility with numerous travel delays. Across the deep south severe weather in the form of thunderstorms and tornadoes are expected from Louisiana into the middle Atlantic. Several tornadoes occurred overnight including a damaging storm in Yazoo City, Mississippi.

The balance of the week across the northeast and Quebec will be unsettled and chilly with flurries and clouds expected through the weekend.