Snow expected in the GTA Friday
Posted January 11, 2012 7:57 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
After an exceptionally mild start to the New Year, cold temperatures and as much as 20 centimetres of snow are expected to hit the GTA later this week.
Heavy fog and low winds prompted Environment Canada to issue a special weather statement covering a large swath of southwestern Ontario, including the GTA, on Wednesday.
The agency warned of low to zero visibility for drivers for the early-morning hours with the fog expected to burn off after sunrise.
Rain will precede the change to more wintry conditions, with showers expected to hit the city Thursday.
The temperature is forecast to dip down to -2 C on Friday and that rain will turn to snow. High winds and blowing snow could make for a tricky commute Friday morning.
“It’s a two-day event that’s coming in two punches,” said CityNews meteorologist Natasha Ramsahai.
“Punch one is tomorrow which is mainly a rain event for the downtown core. But there will be snow north and east of us. … Punch two comes through beginning Friday morning during the rush hour, and that is all straight snow for everyone.
“Really it is areas north and east of the GTA that will be into more snow for a longer period of time.”
Over the two days, Ramsahai said, two-five centimetres of snow will fall downtown; five-10 centimetres north of Highway 401, including Pearson International Airport; eight-12 centimetres north of Toronto, including Vaughan, Woodbridge, Unionville and Richmond Hill; 10-15 centimetres from Oshawa to Trenton; and 15-20 centimetres in the Hamilton-Niagara region.
The cooling trend continues through the weekend with forecast highs of -6 C for Saturday and -5 C for Sunday.
Click here for the latest forecast.
