Adedokun Waliyu 
Torontonians may need to break out the snow shovels ahead of the Family Day long weekend with the first significant snowfall of the month expected to hit the city on Thursday.
A winter weather travel advisory is in place as a large weather system moves through the GTA that will likely have a major impact on afternoon and evening travel.
Snow was falling in parts of the GTA as of noon and CityNews 680 meteorologist Jill Taylor says residents should brace for heavy and wet snow that won’t wrap up until around 6 p.m. She says the snowfall will be heaviest between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Taylor is calling for 3-7 cm for Toronto and the west end of the GTA, with anywhere from 8-15 cm possible for areas to the north and east.
“Those areas, north and east GTA, will get into the lake effect,” says Taylor, adding that the west end of the GTA could also get some lake effect flurries later in the evening. “Really, all areas are impacted.”
Environment Canada issued a winter weather travel advisory ahead of the storm, warning of reduced visibility and strong northwesterly winds with gusts of up to 70 km/h expected Thursday evening and into Thursday night before easing by early Friday morning.
“Travel may be hazardous due to sudden changes in the weather,” the national weather service said in a statement late Wednesday. “Consider postponing non-essential travel until conditions improve.”
The City of Toronto says liquid salt brine was applied to expressways and other priority locations overnight and crews will start salting as soon as snow begins to accumulate on the pavement.
“Some areas of the city may receive snow this morning, but most of the snowfall is expected during the afternoon and into the evening rush hour,” the city says. “High winds may result in blowing snow.”
Along with the incoming snow, cooler air has taken charge this week. Thursday will see a guaranteed high of 0 C but it will get cold in the evening with windchill near -11 overnight. The daytime high on Friday will be around the freezing mark.
Looking ahead to the Family Day weekend, a slight warmup is in store after a cooler Saturday (high of -4 C), with the daytime high getting back above 0 C on Sunday, and a high of 3 C with mainly sunny skies expected on the holiday Monday.
“Could get some flurries for the weekend, at least Saturday and Sunday,” says Taylor. “And then warmer on Monday.”
The return to seasonal winter weather follows an unusually warm stretch for the city that saw Toronto break a decades-old temperature record last week.
