Blizzard warnings expand with heavy snow, 90 km/h wind gusts
Nothing screams the 'unofficial kick off to summer' quite like snowfall and blizzard warnings.
As we get ready to welcome the May long weekend, parts of northern Canada are dealing with yet another round of hefty winter weather.
DON'T MISS:
This is the third time just this month that blizzard warnings have been issued in Canada.
"We have a deepening low pressure system moving through the Hudson Strait. As the storm intensifies, strong winds are expected to impact northern Quebec and Baffin Island," says Rachel Modestino, a meteorologist at The Weather Network. "These regions are also on the cold, northside of the system where heavy snowfall is forecast."
Blizzard warnings are in effect for the Kangiqsujuaq-Raglan Lake regions in northern Quebec, urging to limit any time spent outdoors.
"Visibility will be suddenly reduced to near zero at times in heavy snow and blowing snow," says Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) in the warning.
While the snow lightened up by Wednesday evening, persistent strong winds will continue to make for near-zero visibilities until Thursday evening.
A blizzard warning is issued when winds are expected to produce blowing snow, with widespread visibilities of 400 metres or less for at least 6 hours, according to ECCC.
By early Thursday morning, a blizzard warning included Iqaluit, Nunavut, as well.
Peak winds gusting to 90 km/h combined with falling snow will continue to give near zero visibility across the region on Thursday. Travel is expected to be hazardous.
"If you do travel and become lost, remain where you are until the blizzard has passed. Ensure that shelter is provided for pets and outdoor animals," ECCC says in the warning.
SEE ALSO:
It is pretty rare for blizzard warnings this late in the season, but it is certainly not unheard of. In 2022, the Dempster Highway saw a blizzard warning issued on June 7-8!
Click here to view the video
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Travel Weekly
2 hours ago
- Travel Weekly
Advocacy efforts by ASTA, ACTA take the stage at AMG's confab
ORLANDO -- "How many of you have had trouble collecting hotel commissions?" ASTA president and CEO Zane Kerby asked a room full of advisors at American Marketing Group's Travel Market 2025 here -- and throughout the room, advisors vocalized their agreement. "It's a big problem," Kerby said, "and it's something ASTA has taken very, very seriously." ASTA two years ago published a list of suppliers who pay commissions within 30 days of an advisor remitting payment. While he didn't provide further details, Kerby said ASTA is gearing up to take on the suppliers who aren't on that list. "We're going to really start calling out those people who do not pay commissions on time, because that's a problem for the industry," he said to applause. "It's a problem for you; it's a problem for us." Kerby was part of an on-stage discussion about advocacy alongside Wendy Paradis, president of the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies (ACTA). Kerby highlighted some of ASTA's other advocacy efforts of late, including its battle to repeal the rule requiring the merchant of record, in some cases agents, to refund airline passengers even if they don't possess the funds; a recently won tax battle in Nebraska; and a fight against a new 11% tax on bookings for cruises in Hawaiian waters. For Canadian agencies, a focus on tariffs In Canada, the No. 1 issue for travel agencies is the potential impact of tariffs implemented by the U.S., Paradis said. Right now, agencies are mostly in wait-and-see mode, but the implications of tariffs could be great. ACTA has done forecasting regarding tariffs and what would happen if they stayed in place, as is, for any length of time. For people to travel, they need to have jobs and disposable income, and if the tariffs sap jobs and income of Canadian advisors' clients, advisor business would be affected. "Should they stay in place, the impact on Ontario and Quebec, which are the largest travel industry provinces in Canada, is much worse than the pandemic," she said. But the effects would take "months and months to unfold," Paradis said. In the meantime, ACTA continues to advocate on behalf of Canada and the travel industry. Travel advisors working with an older clientele will likely fare better, she said: Baby Boomers are the largest group of travelers in Canada right now, and for the most part they are empty-nesters with paid-off mortgages. Millennials and Gen X travelers, by contrast, are likely less resilient.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Hazy skies linger as wildfire smoke moves through Northern Michigan
PETOSKEY — Skies across Northern Michigan had a hazy quality this week as smoke from Canadian wildfires continued to flow south. According to Canada's National Wildland Fire Situation Report, as of May 30 there were 79 uncontrolled active fires; 21 being held; 57 controlled; and 22 modified responses. The priority fires are primarily located in Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta. More: Michigan air quality suffers from Canadian fires. Air quality alert for June 5 'There are wildfires going on in Canada right now,' said Jim Keysor, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Gaylord. 'We've actually seen that the last several years, that they've had a lot of fire issues up there. It's been very dry.' Some of the smoke from those fires tends to drift south on what Keysor described as a 'a super highway' of air. More: Canadian wildfire smoke engulfs Michigan's Mackinac Bridge, causing it to disappear 'Really when you think about it, it's just the movement of air across North America,' he said. 'Basically, there's a super highway where air moves at very fast speeds way up in the atmosphere. And so those particulates from that smoke, they get picked up by that fast moving air and they move to wherever that air is going. In this case, towards the Great Lakes and the upper Midwest. It's just bringing it right down across our area.' Several air quality alerts were in place during the week as smoke particulates created unhealthy conditions. For example, on Thursday, June 5, an air quality alert was in place for 15 counties in the U.P. and 11 counties in the northern Lower Peninsula. Keysor said conditions were initially worse in the U.P., but by later in the week the area of focus had shifted further south. Rainy conditions mid-week actually made conditions worse. 'Really the middle of this week was the worst as we went into the Tuesday and Wednesday timeframes,' Keysor said. 'That was because we had another weather system that was moving through, and really what that weather system did is … it actually helped to bring some of that smoke from higher up in the atmosphere down toward the ground, so it actually made conditions worse for those that have breathing issues.' More: Canadian wildfire smoke will be more frequent unwanted visitor in Michigan Along with red-tinged sunsets, people with respiratory issues may have noticed stinging, itchiness, watery eyes or other symptoms from the smoke. 'A lot of them are staying inside, they're running air conditioning if they have it and they're really trying to limit any kind of physical activity outside that could further make the problem worse,' Keysor said. People have also reported being able to smell the smoke, although because it has traveled so far, Keysor said it often won't smell like smoke from a typical backyard fire. According to Thursday's forecast from the MiAir division of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, 'air quality is expected to finally show improvement by the weekend.' But, Keysor warned, it probably won't be the last time Michigan deals with smoky skies this summer. 'We're probably going to be dealing with this for a while, much like we did the past couple of years,' he said. 'Although things will get better from time to time, as long as those fires continue and they don't receive meaningful rain that's going to really help put those out … we're going to be dealing off and on with these smoke issues.' — Contact Jillian Fellows at jfellows@ This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Hazy skies, air quality alerts linger as Canadian wildfire smoke moves through Northern Michigan
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
How long did Great Lakes ice hold on in 2025? When the last ice melted
It may seem like summer across the Great Lakes, but it's only been a few weeks since ice clung to the last few areas in Lake Superior, according to data from NOAA. The Great Lakes were at 52.23% ice coverage on Feb. 22, the highest percentages of ice coverage since February 2022 when it hit 56%, NOAA said earlier this year. While ice coverage shrunk quickly with warm spring weather, ice stubbornly hung on in Black Bay and Nipigon Bay, east of Thunder Bay, Ontario, until May 10-11. Lake Michigan, the first Great Lake to thaw completely, had a tiny area of ice at the north end of Green Bay, Wisconsin, on April 10-11. Great Lakes peak ice coverage typically coincides with the end of February, NOAA said. The upper Great Lakes see peak coverage in early March. Water temperatures across the ice-free lakes currently vary from the upper 30s to the mid-60s. Here is more on the Great Lakes and ice coverage data. Here are the dates of last recorded ice on each of the Great Lakes in 2025, from the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory updates: Lake Michigan: April 14 Lake Ontario: April 19 Lake Erie: April 22 Lake Huron: May 8 Lake Superior: May 11 Great Lakes - overall: May 11 As of June 6, the Great Lakes remain pretty cold. Here's a look at current temperatures and where they were measured, according to Lake Superior: The warmest water temperature in Lake Superior was 60.1 degrees (Ashland), and the coldest temperature was 37.8 degrees (Terrace Bay). Lake Michigan: The warmest water temperature in Lake Michigan was 62.4 degrees (Green Bay), and the coldest temperature was 43.5 degrees (Fisherman Island). Lake Huron: The warmest water temperature in Lake Huron was 61.7 degrees (Sebewaing), and the coldest temperature was 40.8 degrees (Rogers City). Lake Erie: The warmest water temperature in Lake Erie was 67.8 degrees (Rossford), and the coldest temperature was 54.1 degrees (Peacock Point). Lake Ontario: The warmest water temperature in Lake Ontario was 55.8 degrees (Dexter), and the coldest temperature was 46 degrees (Ajax). Historically, Lake Erie freezes and warms the quickest due to its shallow depth, the shallowest among the Great Lakes. The average depth of Lake Erie is about 62 feet and 210 feet, maximum — with 871 miles of shoreline, the Great Lakes Commission said. Here are the other average depths for the Great Lakes, from deepest to shallowest from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Lake Superior: 483 feet in average depth, maximum depth at 1,332 feet. Lake Michigan: 279 feet in average depth, reaching 925 feet at maximum. Lake Ontario: 283 feet in average depth, maximum depth at 802 feet. Lake Huron: 195 feet in average depth, and approximately 750 feet at maximum. The overall highest percentage of ice coverage for all the Great Lakes took place in 1979 when they were 94.7% covered, NOAA said. Lake Superior has frozen over once since 1973, according to NOAA. The lake had 100% ice cover in 1996. Lake Michigan's ice cover high was 93.2% in 2014. Lake Huron had 98.2% ice cover in 1996. Lake Erie froze over completely in 1978, 1979 and 1996. Lake Ontario had 86.2% ice coverage in 1979. This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Michigan Great Lakes ice in 2025 lasted until May. Here's where
