Ontario braces for more weeks of snow after record-breaking storm

Ontario is bracing for another round of winter weather after a powerful storm dumped historic snowfall levels across the GTA this week and resulted in the closures of schools, universities, and certain bus routes.

Environment Canada reported that 23 centimetres of snow had accumulated at Pearson Airport as of 8 p.m. on Thursday, marking the highest Jan. 15 snowfall total in history, with the previous record of 15.2 centimetres dating back to 1863.

Although the storm is behind us, some weather models suggest southern Ontario could see more snow (and a lot of it) before the month ends.

Data from the weather analysis site Pivotal Weather highlights a significant divide between the American GFS (Global Forecast System) model used in North America and the European ECMWG (European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecast) model, which is costlier but often more accurate. While the GFS paints a more moderate scenario of how the rest of the month will unfold precipitation-wise, the ECMWF projects a far snowier outcome.

Think you’ve seen enough snow? There’s a lot more coming… A widespread 1-3 feet of snow looks likely for all of Southern Ontario from now through to the end of the month. The next couple of weeks will be very active with clipper systems and lake effect snow. #ONStorm #ONwx pic.twitter.com/kvBMjtOe5B

— WeatherCAN (@1Weathercanada) January 15, 2026

Under the European model, much of southern Ontario could see anywhere from 19.2 to 37.6 inches of total snowfall by Jan. 30. A previous model estimated that a large portion of the province could see totals of as much as 50 to 100 cm by Jan. 25.

To compare, the American Old Farmer's Almanac predicts that precipitation totals in southern Ontario throughout January will reach 40 mm (25 mm below average). However, the same forecast predicts a wetter-than-average February, with precipitation totals of 75 mm (20 mm above average).

Unfortunately, we won't have to wait long for the next round of snowfall, as the second wave of this snowy stretch is expected to arrive as early as Friday night, offering a preview of what could be an extremely active (and snowy) end to January.

According to Environment Canada, snowfall totals on Friday afternoon will be around two centimetres, followed by another two to four centimetres on Friday night. On the bright side, bone-chilling temperatures are expected to ease up by Saturday afternoon, when we'll see a high of 2 degrees C with sunny breaks.