'It's a big one': Parts of northwestern Ont., could be in for a record breaking snowstorm Wednesday

Environment Canada has issued a winter storm warning for the city of Thunder Bay and surrounding areas, as 30 centimetres of snow and strong wind gusts are expected Wednesday.

The agency began issuing weather statements yesterday evening, but those alerts have now been upgraded to warnings.

"It is typical to see snowfall in April. Usually we see about 12.4 centimetres, so this will be more than what we're used to in April and could even be record-breaking. Our record snowfall amount for April 2nd is 17.4 centimetres, set in 1994," explained Trudy Kidd, meteorologist with Environment Canada.

"It's a big one," she added.

The heaviest snowfall is expected Wednesday afternoon into the evening. Easterly winds gusting 50 to 70 kilometres per hour will result in blowing snow, particularly near Lake Superior.

The agency said the snow is expected to taper by Thursday morning.

"We're expecting a whole lot of snow. And not only that, but we'll also have some pretty gusty winds blowing it all around, making travel really frustrating … So not a very spring-like day by any means," said Kidd.

A snowfall warning has also been issued for much of the northwestern region. Atikokan, Fort Frances, Kenora, and Red Lake are expecting 10 to 20 centimetres of snow beginning Wednesday.

Areas east of Thunder Bay are also expecting about 20 centimetres of snow Wednesday afternoon. A snowfall warning has also been issued for Greenstone and northshore areas.

The northwest, and much of Ontario, has experienced a roller coaster of weather in the first few weeks of spring.

Two snowstorms covered parts of the northwest last week, while an ice storm touched down in southern parts of the province.

As of Tuesday morning, Hydro One is reporting about 34,000 customers remain without power in eastern Ontario. Most customers in the Tweed area are still out.

Despite these weather events, Kidd says the northwest has actually experienced pretty average conditions in the month of March.

Kidd says average temperatures in March were about a degree warmer than the seasonal norm. As for precipitation, Thunder Bay was actually dryer than usual in March.