Greater Toronto Area to kick off December with a blanketing of snow up to 5 cm
Winter may not arrive for another few weeks, but the Toronto area is already getting its first taste of frigid cold and even snowfall — more of which is on the way to greet the arrival of December this Friday.
Wednesday afternoon's light dusting of snow in the Greater Toronto Area may have been but a prelude to the first actual accumulation of sub-zero precipitation expected to arrive on Friday.
Environment Canada is warning that the arrival of a weak low-pressure system tracking over the province will leave portions of southern Ontario, including the northern areas of the Golden Horseshoe, with as much as five centimetres of snow on Friday.
Significant Weather Outlook from @ECCCWeatherON for Friday.
— WxOntario (@WxOntario1) November 29, 2023
Risk of 5cm of snow across parts of SW/ Central #Ontario and the #GTA.#OnWX pic.twitter.com/h3hM0sz93m
While the government climate agency acknowledges that "there is still considerable uncertainty regarding the location and amount of snowfall," the system is expected to arrive morning or early afternoon on Friday.
The timing of the storm's arrival could make for an unpleasant rush-hour commute to close out the work week, and Environment Canada cautions that "snow may make travel difficult in some locations and may impact rush-hour traffic in urban areas."
News of the first significant snowfall comes on the heels of a turbulent winter forecast for the Toronto area.
The city and surrounding region are expected to see "near-normal" amounts of snowfall this season, according to The Weather Network, as the rest of the country to the west is set to experience a milder-than-normal winter.
