The special weather statement for the Dryden, Vermilion Bay, Sioux Lookout, and the surrounding communities has ended and is now being classified as weather advisory.
Environment Canada has issued a winter weather travel advisory in effect Wednesday night into Thursday evening.
Snow with total snowfall accumulations of 5 to 10 cm expected. Winds gusting up to 70 km/h combined with falling snow will result in blowing snow and reduced visibilities. Rapidly falling temperatures could cause ice build-up on roads and sidewalks.
Travelers should plan on slippery road conditions. Blowing snow could significantly reduce visibilities. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning commute.
If visibility is reduced while driving, turn on your lights and maintain a safe following distance. Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways, and parking lots may become icy and slippery.
For road conditions and other traveler information from the Ministry of Transportation, visit https://www.ontario.ca/511, https://www.twitter.com/511Ontario, or call 5-1-1.
Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada. To report severe weather, send an email to ONstorm@ec.gc.ca or tweet reports using #ONStorm.
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Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for Dryden, Vermilion Bay, Sioux Lookout, and the surrounding communities as 20-25 mm of rain may fall in the area Wednesday night.
The weather agency says rain, heavy at times, is expected to begin late this evening or after midnight.
"It's really a big system on the way. This system is organizing itself right now. The bigger rains and snow will come after that so something certainly to be mindful of come Thursday," said Environment Canada Meteorologist Gerald Chang.
Total rainfall amounts of 20 to 25 mm are possible by the time rain changes to snow early Thursday morning.
Strong northwesterly winds with gusts of 70 to 80 km/h will develop Thursday morning. Reduced visibility in blowing snow is expected Thursday, along with snowfall amounts near 10 cm.
Chang didn't have rain records for Dryden but the rain record for Sioux Lookout for December 15 is 5.6 mm and 2.2 mm for December 16, both records were set back in 1984.
After a blast of severe winter weather last week the region has experienced milder above zero temperatures recently, but moving forward Chang noted that will end the colder weather will come in.
"Forget about the mild weather right now because we will swing back to seasonal winterly weather, wintery conditions and when we talk about overnight lows by Thursday night we're talking about temperatures into the minus '20s and that means windchill almost flirting with minus 30," concluded Chang.