Batten down the hatches! Hamilton under winter storm warning

The City of Hamilton has issued a cold weather alert for Friday with a major storm brewing in southern Ontario - just days before Santa is expected to fly into town.

Some recreation centres and public libraries will open as warming centres during regular business hours.

Municipal weather warnings are issued when temperatures are expected to hit lows of minus -15 C or -20 C with the wind chill.

On Thursday morning, Environment Canada upgraded a winter storm watch to a winter storm warning for the city.

A weather warning is issued by the national weather agency when hazardous conditions are forecast.

And they are anticipated to be hazardous - from damaging wind gusts, blowing snow and reduced visibility to temperatures below -10 C and flash freezing.

Rain will begin early Thursday evening and continue overnight. The snow will start falling Friday morning, tapering off to flurries by Saturday morning - between five and 15 centimetres are expected.

Temperatures will plummet to around -12 C Friday, leading to flash freezing. Very cold wind chills are also expected, which will feel like -25 C in the afternoon and into the weekend. Those winds of up to 90 km/h will develop Friday morning and continue into Saturday.

Travel should be avoided or postponed, and plan ahead if you've got more holiday shopping to do as there will be reduced visibility on the roads due to blowing snow as well as potential icy conditions.

For more on this developing storm, check Environment Canada.

Meanwhile, local conservation authorities have issued a flood warning for the Lake Erie shoreline. Strong" southwesterly winds up to 50 km/h, with gusts up to 110 km/h, are expected.

People are urged to use caution or stay away from Lake Erie shoreline areas experiencing strong wave action and elevated water levels," Haldimand County said in a release.

Local school boards say they're monitoring" conditions, and will decide early Friday morning whether buses will be cancelled and schools closed.

A spokesperson for McMaster University said a closure would be announced online early Friday. Mohawk College spokesperson Bill Steinburg said he expects to have more information Thursday afternoon.

Delaney Caulfield is a Hamilton-based web editor at The Spectator. Reach her via email: dcaulfield@thespec.com