A special weather statement has been issued for parts of Durham Region, York Region, Kawartha Lakes and Simcoe County.

According to the notice from Environment Canada, strong winds are expected to begin in the afternoon Thursday (Dec. 16) and continue through the evening.

Gusts between 70 and 80 km/h are possible and utility outages may occur.

“A Colorado Low moving through Ontario today will bring strong winds throughout most of northeastern and southern Ontario,” the statement reads.

Residents are reminded that high winds may toss loose objects or cause tree branches to break.