A winter weather travel advisory has been issued for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area on Thursday as the region is expected to be hit with the first significant snowfall of the season.
Environment Canada says a low pressure system moving up along the eastern seaboard of the United States will reach southern Ontario later this afternoon.
The areas affected by the advisory include Toronto, Hamilton, Halton-Peel, and York-Durham region. The snow is forecast to continue through Thursday evening and early Friday morning.
The national weather office said the Greater Toronto Area can expect between five and 10 centimetres of snow. Most of it is scheduled to fall tonight.
Global News chief meteorologist Anthony Farnell says the below average temperatures in November is unusual for this time of the year.
“We just haven’t had a November like this in quite some time. It is a shock to the system whenever you get that first snow as far as accidents go and people on the roadways,” Farnell said.
The forecast for the Toronto downtown core will be slightly less eventful compared to what people north of Highway 401 will experience.
“It is around 0 C throughout the night tonight so I don’t expect it to stick to roads downtown. Once you get north of Highway 401, seven, eight, nine centimetres of snow. It starts around 4 or 5 p.m. today and continues until early tomorrow morning,” he said.
“That a significant storm for November. It is going to remain on the cold side right through next week.”
The snowfall may also have a major impact on the Thursday evening commute as well as the Friday morning drive.
Officials are warning motorists of poor driving conditions and untreated roads may become slippery. People are being reminded to plan for extra time to reach their destination and to keep a safe distance between vehicles.
The snowfall will become mixed with rain on Friday as temperatures rise above the freezing mark.
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