Ontario experienced a rare phenomenon during last night’s winter storm, with residents witnessing lightening and thunder along with heavy snow and high winds.
Up to 30 centimetres of snow fell on southern Ontario in under 16 hours, resulting in power outages and dangerous driving conditions.
The thundersnow, a rare event in which an air mass becomes so unstable that it turns violent, lit up the night sky.
Residents were urged to remain in doors and not travel as visibility was next to none.
A senior climatologist for Environment Canada said Saturday that “almost a half a winter's worth of snow” has dropped in the last 10 days.
“Since Feb. 22 we've had about 50 centimeters of snow,” Dave Phillips said.
The City of Toronto, meanwhile, declared a “major snowstorm condition” on Saturday, saying that on Monday drivers won’t be allowed to park on certain streets to allow for snow removal.
Residents spent much of Saturday morning digging their vehicles out.
The flurries finally tapered off as mid-Saturday morning. However, Environment Canada says this may not be the last snowfall for the province.
There is a 40 per cent chance of flurries on Sunday, despite temperatures reaching a high of 7 C.
All photos courtesy of the Canadian Press.
