Snow squall watch, travel advisory for Kingston area Wednesday

Environment Canada has issued a snow squall watch for eastern Ontario communities along Lake Ontario on Wednesday, and is asking people to consider postponing non-essential travel for their safety.

More than 15 centimetres of snow could fall around Kingston and Belleville, including parts of Highways 7 and 401, starting early in the morning. That could come in sudden blasts of two to five centimetres per hour, forecasters say.

Given the poor visibility, people are advised to avoid travel or, if they must venture out, to plan for the weather. That includes having a charged phone on hand, packing an emergency kit and informing others when you expect to reach your destination.

Much more intense snow squalls hit Muskoka over the weekend.

Kingston's overnight low is expected to be about –3 C with wind chill making it feel more like –10. Temperatures should stay around the freezing mark Wednesday, with either snow or rain Wednesday night.

A snow squall watch was issued for the area over the weekend. There are similar watches Tuesday morning on the north shores of Canada's Great Lakes.

Environment Canada is also telling people in western Quebec to expect that area's first significant snowfall of the season Wednesday and Thursday.

It forecasts 10 centimetres of snow, potentially a bit more in the hardest-hit. That could affect travel as well.

About five centimetres of snow could fall in Ottawa Wednesday, with a bit more falling Wednesday night. The last time Ottawa got at least five centimetres of snow in a day was the first week of April.

Parts of the broader Ottawa-Gatineau area have been warmer and drier than normal in recent weeks, which contributed to the cancellation of an international ski event at Mont-Tremblant this coming weekend.