(Photo courtesy of © Can Stock Photo / coka)(Photo courtesy of © Can Stock Photo / coka)
Chatham

Brief relief from bitter cold expected mid-week

The winter storm over the weekend didn't likely set any local snowfall records in Southwestern Ontario, but the way the snow arrived was unusual.

Environment Canada meteorologist Marie-Eve Giguere said volunteer observers reported snowfall amounts ranging from 10-15 centimetres in the Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent areas, while London received a bit less -- topping out closer to 10 centimetres.

Those totals were a drop in the bucket -- or a few flakes in your shovel -- compared to the dumping that fell further east, though. Giguere said an easterly wind picked up moisture that was hovering over Lake Erie and dropped an estimated 40 centimetres of snow on the Hamilton area.

While no local records were set in the stretch from Windsor to London, Giguere said you may have to go back as far as the 1970s before you find a snowstorm that dumped 10-15 centimetres on the region and was also accompanied by such frigid temperatures.

"Usually when it is really cold, the cold air pushes the storm further south," said Giguere. "What happened this time is that even though there was a really strong cold push from the north, there was a really warm push from the south."

Giguere said the snow was bolstered by a warm front that picked up moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic made its way across Lake Erie. That push met a cold front a little further north, making for a perfect storm of snow and bitterly cold temperatures. There is some relief in sight from that dip, but Giguere said it won't last long.

"Some warm air will move in on Tuesday... it'll almost feel exotic," said Giguere, adding from there, the temperature should rise into the positives for Wednesday and Thursday, possibly bringing some rain before it gets colder again. "As the cold air moves back in, we're looking at reaching probably -20 C again... don't put your winter gear away with this relief tomorrow."

Giguere said the cold that will return at the end of the week is also expected to stick around until the end of the month.

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