A winter storm is forecast to drop 20 to 30 cm in Toronto and the GTA this weekend

Snow squalls off Lake Ontario could cause whiteout conditions.

ttc streetcar on toronto street during snowstorm

TTC streetcar in Toronto during a snowstorm.

Senior Writer

Ontario's weather is going to be impacted by a winter storm this weekend.

A new forecast has called for 20 to more than 30 centimetres of snow in Toronto and the GTA!

The Weather Network said to prepare for "significant snowfall" in much of southern Ontario on Sunday, January 25.

The northern edge of a system that's moving through the U.S. will graze southern Ontario this weekend and bring "heavy snow" to the region.

Lake enhancement could increase snowfall accumulations around the GTA, with 20 to 30 centimetres forecast in many parts of southern Ontario.

Because of the cold temperatures, this winter storm will bring fluffy snow that accumulates rapidly. That could make it difficult for plows to keep up.

So, The Weather Network said you should be ready for delays on highways and at airports if you're travelling this weekend.

The snowfall could start on Saturday night and continue throughout the day on Sunday. There's the possibility for snow to persist into Monday morning.

Lake-enhanced snow squalls are forecast to develop off Lake Ontario overnight on Saturday into Sunday morning before the storm arrives.

Depending on how the winds gust over Lake Ontario, the snow squalls could hit Toronto and the surrounding areas for several hours, causing whiteout conditions.

The Weather Network said places underneath these bands of snow could get 25 to more than 30 centimetres by Monday.

That includes cities and towns along the northern shores of Lake Ontario like Toronto, Pickering, Ajax, Oshawa, Bowmanville, and Cobourg.

Also, 20 to 25 centimetres of snow is forecast for Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Milton, Oakville, Burlington, Hamilton, St. Catharines, Belleville, Kingston, and nearby areas.

Kitchener, Waterloo, Guelph, Fergus, Orangeville, Newmarket, Peterborough and surrounding areas are likely to get 15 to 20 centimetres of snow from this winter storm.

Further from the GTA in places like Mount Forest, Barrie, Orillia and east to Ottawa, between 10 and 15 centimetres are forecast.

The Weather Network said this snow won't melt because temperatures will be below freezing through the end of January.

Colder-than-normal temperatures are even expected to continue into the first few days of February.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.

  • Senior Writer

    Lisa Belmonte (she/her) is a Senior Writer with Narcity Media. After graduating with a Bachelor of Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), she joined the Narcity team. Lisa covers news and notices from across the country from a Canada-wide perspective. Her early coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic earned Narcity its first-ever national journalism award nomination.

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