Winter weather travel advisory in effect for Toronto, GTA

Toronto and the surrounding GTA are under a winter weather travel advisory this morning as bands of heavy snow move through the area.

Environment Canada says 2 to 5 cm of snow is expected throughout the morning hours, impacting the commute and making driving challenging.

“Visibility may be suddenly reduced at times in heavy snow,” Canada’s weather agency said. “Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions. If visibility is reduced while driving, slow down, watch for tail lights ahead and be prepared to stop.”

Some areas could see freezing rain and drizzle into Friday.

Regions north of the GTA can expect around 5 cm of wet, heavy snow. As the morning progresses, the snow will shift to a messy mix of rain, snow, and ice, with flurries continuing into the afternoon.

Mississauga, Brampton, Burlington, Oakville, Halton Hills, Vaughan, Richmond Hill and Kitchener are among the other localized areas under the winter weather travel advisory.

Weekend storm could bring snowier blast to Ontario

A fresh wave of snowfall is set to bring up to 10 cm to southern Ontario and the GTA on Friday.

Before reaching southern Ontario on Friday afternoon, the system will blanket northwestern Ontario with heavy snowfall. Widespread weather alerts are expected to be in place by then.

The snow will reach Toronto and the GTA by late Friday afternoon and will impact the evening commute. Precise snowfall totals are unclear due to temperatures hovering around the freezing mark and 1 C, but Toronto could see anywhere from 5 to 10 cm by Saturday.

A cold front will make its way back to the city and GTA this weekend with a forecasted daytime high of -7 C in Toronto on Saturday, though it will feel more like -15 with the wind. Sunday morning will be even colder, with temperatures in the -16 C range and a wind chill of -21.

The latest weather advisory comes as the city digs out of a potent mid-February storm that saw significant snowfall accumulation in Toronto. This prompted Mayor Olivia Chow to call for a review of the city’s winter operations.

The City of Toronto said last week it could take three weeks to finish trucking away the piles of snow restricting traffic and blocking sidewalks after the rounds of heavy snowfall this month.

You can sign up for the The Leader Spirit Weather Guarantee here and see details on the extended forecast.