Toronto braces for sharp temperature swings and snow this weekend, early-March chill
Posted February 26, 2026 9:08 am.
Last Updated February 26, 2026 10:08 am.
Toronto is gearing up for a dynamic stretch of wintry weather that will see temperatures swing from unseasonably mild to sharply colder-than-normal conditions, with a dose of snow and bitter wind chills in between.
According to 680 NewsRadio weather specialist Denise Andreacchi, a brief warm-up on Friday will quickly give way to a frigid start to March, bringing the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) a mix of light snow, sub-zero highs, and temperatures that will feel closer to the deep-winter norms the city thought it had escaped.
After a week of variable conditions, Toronto will get a short-lived reprieve on Friday, when daytime highs climb to around 5°C. Andreacchi notes this will be the warmest point in the forecast before a sharp cold front moves in Friday night into Saturday.
Weekend snow and bitter cold
By Saturday afternoon, temperatures will fall back below seasonal averages. The real plunge arrives Saturday night, when overnight lows hover near –10°C, setting the stage for a bitter wind chill. Temperatures will feel like -19 with the wind chill.
Light snow is expected to move across the GTA late Saturday night and continue into early Sunday morning. Accumulations are projected to range from 2 to 4 centimetres, enough to create slick road conditions for early Sunday travel. Despite a daytime forecast near –10°C, strong winds will make it feel closer to -18.
Actual lows for Sunday’s overnight will sit near -18°C, but wind chills could reach -25, posing risks of frostbite in as little as 30 minutes.
The cold intensifies as the weekend ends.
Andreacchi says a more typical early-spring pattern begins to “lock in” by Tuesday, bringing temperatures back toward the seasonal norm. But milder conditions don’t necessarily mean smooth sailing.
“Milder temps always mean a better chance of mixed precipitation when active weather moves through,” she said.
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