Bitter cold and snow on the way for Toronto on Friday

A weather system that could bring snow to Toronto on Friday is shown on CP24's Future Cast radar.

Toronto is planning to open four of its warming centres this afternoon ahead of a stretch of bitter cold.

The temperature is expected to hover around the freezing mark for most of the day on Thursday but Environment Canada is warning of an overnight low of - 5 C that will feel closer to -10 with the wind chill.

• The full forecast and everything else you need to know about GTA weather

The winter conditions will continue on Friday with the possibility of up to five centimetres of snowfall alongside wind gusts of up to 40 kilometre an hour and a daytime high of just – 3 C.

The weekend will bring mostly sunny skies but much colder conditions.

Environment Canada is forecasting a high of -8 C on Saturday with an overnight low of -17 C.

On Sunday the temperature will range between -9 C and – 12 C.

“Those flurries (on Friday) are sort of the flood gates of a system in which cold, cold air will come in for the weekend,” CP24 meteorologist Bill Coulter warned. “It is the kind of air we haven’t experienced in quite a while with a wind chill in the minus 20s on Saturday night.”

Environment Canada says that there will be a risk of hypothermia and frostbite for anyone who finds themselves outside this weekend for an extended period without “adequate protection.”

The city-run warming centres provide a place for the vulnerable to escape the elements and open whenever the temperature drops below – 5 C.

There is another surge site that only opens when temperatures drop below – 15 C.

The locations opening as of 5 p.m. are as follows:

• 136 Spadina Rd.
• 81 Elizabeth St.
• 12 Holmes Ave.
• 885 Scarborough Golf Club Rd.