Potential for high winds, blowing snow tonight

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement with tonight's forecast calling for gusty winds at times and the potential for localized power outages. 

The special weather statement issued just after noon Monday covers London, Parkhill and Eastern Middlesex County. It warns of the potential for southwesterly winds gusting up to 70 or 80 kilometres an hour.

"It's going to be pretty windy and the winds will increase as the day goes on," said Peter Kimbell, a meteorologist with Environment Canada. "The winds are going to toss around loose objects, they could cause tree branches to break so there could be some local power outages today." 

Kimbell said the winds could pose a hazard for tall vehicles on the road, such as transport trucks. 

Tonight's forecast conditions fall just short of Environment Canada's threshold for a wind warning, which is triggered whenever there's sustained winds of 70 km/h or gusts of up to 90 km/h. 

Although the winds are expected to gradually decrease throughout the night, a strong cold front forecast to come after midnight could pose a danger to drivers due to snow squalls. 

"There could be some whiteout conditions briefly, and pretty nasty driving conditions," said Kimbell. He said the snow could arrive anytime after 10 p.m. but is most likely to arrive some time after midnight.

For the latest updates on any possible power outages in London, consult this London Hydro outage map.