Hello, Mr. Wind? You Win

Seriously: i give up.

Wind: 1. John: 0. You win - for today.

-11°C

• °C

• °F

A few clouds

• Feels Like: -19
• Wind: W 61km/h
• Wind gusts: 96km/h
• Sunrise: 7:13
• Sunset: 17:52

Earlier in the day, temperatures reached record-breaking double digits in some areas, including Toronto, which broke a 1949 record with a high of 10.8°C. Ditches were flowing fast with snow melt, causing localized flooding in places like Collingwood and Thorold. In Ottawa, where the high hit 11.8°C on Friday, the mild temperatures forced officials to close the Rideau Canal, disappointing visitors hoping to enjoy the last weekend of Winterlude.

But the brief taste of spring didn't last. A cold front roared into southern Ontario Friday evening, dropping temperatures more than 10 degrees and packing strong winds. A gust of 96 km/h was recorded at Pearson Airport Friday night, and winds were gusting up to 60 km/h across the region, causing widespread damage.

The wind tore the roof off a strip mall in Toronto's west end, ripped a balcony off an apartment building, and toppled trees and powerlines throughout the GTA.

Strong winds also hit the northeastern United States. In Washington D.C., a gust toppled the National Christmas Tree, a 47-year-old, 13-metre-high Colorado blue spruce planted near the White House.

The winds had died down somewhat by Saturday morning, but not before they whipped up some lake effect snow to complicate things for motorists. Police shut down Highway 400 north of Highway 88 early Saturday morning due to the poor conditions. Highways 6, 12, 21 and 89 were also closed due to near-zero visibility. Intense squalls blowing off Lake Huron stretched across southern Ontario, bringing significant snow to places like Burlington, Mississauga and St. Catharines.

Snow moves in Sunday afternoon

By Sunday, motorists will have other problems to contend with on the roads. A storm system will make its way into southern Ontario, bringing snow to some places, rain to others. Up to 10 cm of snow is expected for the Greater Toronto Area. Heavier amounts of snow are likely towards the Niagara Peninsula due to lake enhancement with easterly and northeasterly winds.

There is also a risk of freezing rain in some places, including Windsor and the Niagara Peninsula, says Dayna Vettese, a meteorologist at The Weather Network.