PHOTOS: Potent spring storm brings tornado watches, ice damage and heavy snow

Digital Writers
·16 min read

From the first tornado watches of 2023 in southwestern Ontario, to heavy snow and blizzard-like conditions, which halted travel across southern Manitoba and parts of northern Ontario -- a sprawling and potent Colorado low made for a mess of a Wednesday across much of central and eastern Canada.

In eastern Ontario and southwestern Quebec, the heaviest impacts were felt in the form of prolonged freezing rain, with more than one million customers left without power in Quebec by the early morning hours on Thursday.

MUST SEE: More than 1 million without power as freezing rain coats southwestern Quebec

The far-reaching system moved into Manitoba Tuesday night, spreading snow across nearly the entire southern region, stretching west to well past the Ontario border through Wednesday morning.

The quickly accumulating snow made for a slow and sloppy morning commute, with totals exceeding 10-15 cm in some areas, including the city of Winnipeg before lunch-time. Heavier amounts of 20+ cm were forecast for regions in the southeast.

Chris D/Freelancer/free to use - Manitoba snow - April, 5, 2023
Chris D/Freelancer/free to use - Manitoba snow - April, 5, 2023

Heavy snow and winds whip through southern Manitoba. Courtesy: Chris D.

The snow coupled with gusty winds between 50-70 km/h made for significantly reduced visibilities for much of southern Manitoba, prompting the province to close some highways due to poor driving conditions caused by blowing snow.

The spring storm also brought high winds and heavy snow across northwestern Ontario, where 15-25 cm was forecast for the region. Wednesday's storm resulted in several school closures and school bus cancellations across northern Ontario, with drivers being urged to avoid any unnecessary travel.

Parts of southern Ontario saw the much warmer side of the system, with the Windsor reaching Canada's first 20°C temperature of the year. The city hit 20.5°C before noon. With the warmth came the instability however, fueling the threat for severe thunderstorms, which spanned the region at times. This storm system also prompted Canada's first tornado watch in 2023 in southwestern Ontario, and that covered the Windsor, Essex, and Chatham-Kent regions. The watch was dropped around 3 p.m., but heavy rain, hail and powerful winds were reported throughout the day.

Widespread freezing rain warnings covered the Ottawa-Gatineau region and much of southern Quebec on Wednesday, with hours of icy precipitation taking quite a damaging toll. Hydro Ottawa reported about 60,000 customers were without power around 9 p.m. A light rail power problem also closed the entire Confederation Line, according to OC Transpo.

Schools across Montreal were closed Thursday morning, with more than one million customers left without power after Wednesday's freezing rain through southwestern Quebec. The weight of the ice and powerful winds associated with the Colorado low, took down tree branches and power lines as the day wore on. Some debris also landed on parked vehicles in the streets. A spokesperson for Hydro-Québec said more than 250 teams were working to restore power, but they were unsure when everyone would be back online. Those with air travel plans are also urged to continue to check on flight status in the wake of the storm's aftermath.

Freezing rain warnings then covered parts of the Maritimes, where the system will make its final icy stop through Thursday.

Below is a look at how this latest storm shaped up across parts of Canada.

Chris D/Freelancer/Free to use: Winnipeg snow storm, winter storm, snow plow, shovel, April 5, 2023
Chris D/Freelancer/Free to use: Winnipeg snow storm, winter storm, snow plow, shovel, April 5, 2023

Winnipeg, Manitoba. Courtesy: Chris D.

WATCH: Large sheets of ice crash down from windows

Click here to view the video

Thumbnail courtesy: Melissa Aldrich - Nepean, ON.