A Colorado low moving through the Great Lakes area has resulted in various forms of active weather across Ontario on Wednesday. Areas have experienced freezing rain and snow, with over 150,000 customers still without power as a result. the ice storm from this last weekend Ice pellets, snow, and even sleet thundersnow It was also reported throughout the Golden Horseshoe region.
Strong gusts paired with intense localized snowfall resulted in poor visibility across key roadways. The highway numbered 6, located north of route 403, was shut down on Wednesday because of treacherous snowy and icy conditions. These circumstances caused numerous incidents including transport trucks skidding and cars becoming stuck.
Photos: The Ontario ice storm leads to extensive destruction and power cuts.
The ice and snow moved out of the Golden Horseshoe area Wednesday afternoon but will remain as an evening and overnight risk through eastern Ontario, including the Ottawa region.
The primary focus will be on the potential for an intense thunderstorm overnight in southern Ontario, which could result in a heightened risk of local flooding.
The risk of intense nighttime storms increases in the southwestern region.
A chilly air mass advancing from the west will begin moving into southwestern Ontario during the latter part of Wednesday night, increasing the likelihood of thunderstorms throughout the region. These storms might become particularly intense near the boundary with Michigan.
Cold temperatures in the lakes will mitigate the intensity of storms crossing them, with the highest risk for severe weather remaining in extreme southwestern Ontario. Windsor Leamington, Chatham, and onwards into Sarnia .
The system will have a convective character, offering the highest likelihood of witnessing a spectacular lightning display post-sunset.
In the evening, the wind direction will shift from northeasterly to southerly, with powerful gusts potentially reaching speeds of 50-70 km/h, and possibly climbing as high as 80 km/h along open coastal areas.
Powerful wind bursts and torrential downpours represent the main hazards during intense thunderstorms. Additionally, there is a slight possibility of tornadoes forming in southwest Ontario if sufficient atmospheric energy travels over from Michigan.
30-60 millimeters of heavy rain are expected where the most intense storms will form, stretching from Windsor to Hamilton.
On Thursday, after the system exits the province, we can expect a notable warming trend that may shock many due to the sudden shift in temperatures.
Over 90 million people at risk just south of the border
The threat of thunderstorms in Ontario will emerge at the northernmost edge of a large-scale severe thunderstorm event anticipated across various parts of the U.S. on Wednesday.
Nearly 100,000,000 individuals in the United States may experience extreme weather conditions, with potentially hazardous thunderstorms stretching from central Texas up to western New York. Be prepared for challenging road trips and disruptions at numerous key airports across various major cities.
The strongest U.S. thunderstorms can generate wind gusts exceeding 120 km/h, hail as large as golf balls or bigger, along with tornadoes.
RELATED: How do supercells expand to generate massive hail and powerful tornadoes?
A significant tornado outbreak could occur in certain areas. The U.S. Storm Prediction Center The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has issued a high-risk alert for severe weather at Level Five out of Five for parts of the Mid-South region, which includes the city of Memphis, Tennessee.
The SPC stated in their late-night forecast that "a significant number of tornadoes, including several long-duration EF3+ tornadoes, seem probable" throughout the regions at high risk.
American meteorologists typically designate a high-risk category for severe weather when their confidence levels are exceptionally strong. a tornado outbreak On average, the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) releases just one or two high-risk warnings each year, with some years passing without any significant severe weather events that would necessitate such predictions. As of today, this marks only the 67th time since January 1, 2000, that conditions have been deemed serious enough for a high-risk alert in the United States.
A substantial flood risk will emerge over the weekend in numerous regions forecasted for severe storms on Wednesday. Weather Prediction Center The WPC cautioned that "an extended life-threatening flash flooding situation will commence today due to multiple days of intense rain affecting a significant part of the Lower Mississippi and Ohio River valleys."
WATCH: Spring storm strikes with rapid and severe changes