Thunderstorms fire up in Ont., snow to the north

Tuesday, April 26, 2016, 8:09 AM - Whether you were already asleep or were waiting for the light show, the thunderstorms that rolled across southern Ontario late Monday were certainly enough to keep you awake.

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The storms pushed into the region after midnight bringing loud rumbles of thunder, frequent lightning, heavy downpours and even hail.

"Some good thunder and lightning happening at The Weather Network studios in Oakville," said Weather Network camera operator Nate Vandermeer just after 2 a.m. Tuesday morning. "There's also some pea sized hail with that storm."

In parts of central and northern Ontario, the "show" wasn't as captivating as more April snow fell across the region proving #Sprinter is definitely a real thing.

Though earlier models hinted at the potential of somewhat significant snowfall in central Ontario, up to 5 cm was reported through Tuesday morning.

The snow will continue to ease throughout the day and the thunderstorms that hit the southern regions moved south of Lakes Ontario and Erie first thing Tuesday morning.

"Clouds will linger through the afternoon hours, but will clear by this evening," says Weather Network meteorologist Nadine Hinds-Powell. "Temperatures however, will struggle to reach double digits before the weekend."
Read more about the cool conditions below.

U.S. SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK

Forecasters are closely monitoring a multi-day tornado threat across the United States. Through this string of severe weather days, Tuesday continues to show the likelihood to be the most active of all the days.

But what does this mean for Canada and potential impact here?

"The system weakens as it tracks east with minimal impact to Canada," says Weather Network meteorologist Dr. Doug Gillham. "We can expect to see just a few showers for southwestern Ontario on Thursday and a chilly east wind off Lake Ontario for the Greater Toronto Area."

WATCH: Tornado season ramps up

WHERE'S THE HEAT?

It's a much cooler start to the week across most of Canada with below seasonal temperatures from the Rockies to Atlantic Canada. While temperatures recover somewhat late week, it will be primarily for areas in western Canada.

"The first week of May will be warm in the west, but there will be one more deep trough for the eastern half of Canada, including the Great Lakes, with below seasonal temperatures," says Weather Network meteorologist Dr. Doug Gillham. "We should see a pattern change for the second week of May that should bring more widespread above seasonal temperatures to much of southern Canada."