Rain alert Update

As 10:25 PM EST Friday 26 December 2008, Environment Canada issued the following Rainfall warning for
North Bay - Powassan - Mattawa West Nipissing - French River.

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Significant rain starting tonight and ending Saturday night.

A significant weather system over the american midwest is tracking northeastward toward Ontario. This system will bring widespread precipitation to much of Northern Ontario beginning tonight. While the precipitation will begin as snow for most locales..It is expected to change over to rain by morning in all areas except parts of the northwest.

Freezing rain warning..During the changeover from snow to rain many regions could experience some patchy freezing drizzle or freezing rain resulting in local ice accretions on untreated surfaces. Regions in a rough swath from Atikokan through Lake Nipigon and eastward toward Kapuskasing and Timmins are expected to receive more freezing precipitation than other locales and thus a freezing rain warning has been issued for these areas. A few millimetres of ice accretion on untreated surfaces may result..Primarily during the late evening and overnight hours.

Rainfall warning..For portions of the Nickel Belt some patchy light snow or freezing drizzle late this evening will change over to an extended period of rain. Periods of rain are expected to continue through Saturday before ending toward dawn Sunday. Current indications suggest that the area from Manitoulin Island northeastward through Killarney..Sudbury..And North Bay..Could receive between about 25 and 50 millimetres of rainfall in total by Sunday morning. Additionally temperatures will continue to rise tonight..Climbing to near 10 by Saturday morning. These relatively high temperatures will accelerate melting of the existing snow pack and compound drainage and runoff concerns.

Environment Canada continues to monitor this developing situation.

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..Significant rain starting tonight and ending Saturday night..

A developing storm currently centred over Wyoming will bring abundant rain over much of southern Ontario as it tracks northeastward. The storm centre will enter northwestern Ontario overnight and be over James Bay by Saturday evening. The associated warm front will enter southwestern Ontario early this evening and move northeast through central and northeastern Ontario on Saturday. This warm front will usher in an unseasonably warm airmass causing the mercury to rise above the freezing mark starting from the west on Friday and then spread eastward on Saturday. The resulting precipitation will be of mixed phases over different parts of the province..Snow and possibly freezing rain or freezing drizzle to the north of the warm front and rain to south of the warm front.

Precipitation for the warned regions will initially be in the form of light snow..Which will then change to rain sometime tonight with the warm front passage. Total rainfall amounts of 25 to 50 millimetres are expected by late Saturday night when the rain leaves these regions.

Also..The rate of the melting snow is anticipated to accelerate due to the relatively high temperatures. Flooding and drainage will be a concern since the ground is still frozen and there will be runoff from the melting snow which will be enhanced by the significant amounts of rain expected to fall on the sodden snowpack.

Environment Canada continues to closely monitor the development of this storm. The rainfall warning may be extended to other regions as required.

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Persons in or near this area should be on the lookout for adverse weather conditions and take necessary safety precautions. Watch for updated statements.
Please refer to the latest public forecasts for further details and continue to monitor the situation through your local radio and television stations or Weatheradio.

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...Significant freezing rain possible early Friday evening to Saturday morning..

This is an alert to the potential development of dangerous winter weather conditions in these regions. Monitor weather conditions..Listen for updated statements.

An intense storm from Colorado is once again heading towards Ontario. This new storm is expected to pass west of Lake Superior Friday overnight which is much further west than the other storms which Ontario has experienced over the last week. The more northwestern storm track means rain across southern Ontario beginning Friday night through Sunday morning but snow..Ice pellets..And potentially significant freezing rain across most of northeastern Ontario Friday evening through Saturday.

Regions located in northeastern Ontario will bear the brunt of the wintery mix of precipitation. Snow is forecast to fall ahead of the storm from Sault Ste Marie east to the Nickel Belt late Friday afternoon then change over to periods of ice pellets and freezing rain starting Friday evening. This wintery mix will then migrate northward reaching north of Geraldton east to Timmins by Friday overnight.

There is potential that the freezing rain will be extensive covering a wide area with significant icing amounts possible. A freezing rain warning may be issued closer to the onset of the storm.

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