Winter weather travel advisory: Toronto expected to see its first snowfall Wednesday

Toronto is expected to see its first snowfall of the season on Wednesday.

A winter weather travel advisory is in effect for the city and the rest of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, advising of snow accumulations near five centimetres.

“A low-pressure system will bring snow to the area beginning Wednesday morning. The snow is expected to taper off Wednesday evening,” Environment Canada said in its advisory.

“Motorists should expect hazardous winter driving conditions and adjust travel plans accordingly. There may be a significant impact on rush hour traffic in urban areas.”

The temperature high on Wednesday is 2 C with a wind chill of -8 in the morning. It is expected to drop to a low of -2 in the evening with a wind chill of -10.

The City of Toronto said crews will spray salt brine on expressways, hills, bridges and other high-priority locations Tuesday evening to prevent the formation of black ice. Earlier this week, the city opened four warming centres.

Meanwhile, the areas east of Durham Region are under a snow squall watch and Environment Canada is warning that they could see accumulations near 20 centimetres.

“Lake effect snow squalls over Lake Ontario could move inland early Wednesday morning, affecting highway 401 during the morning commute. Snow squalls may move in and out of the area Wednesday before moving back south over the lake Wednesday night,” the federal agency said.

Environment Canada added that those areas could see peak snowfall rates of two to five centimetres per hour.

Niagara Falls and some parts of the Niagara Region are also under a snow squall watch.

Ontario Provincial Police are reminding drivers to be prepared as the snow could impact the morning commute.

“It may not be the accumulation like they saw in Central Ontario over the weekend, but sometimes even a small amount can have a significant impact on your drive time,” OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said in a video posted on social media.

He urged drivers to give themselves extra time to get to their destinations, clear their vehicles of ice and snow before hitting the road and not to follow the car in front of them closely so they have time to stop.

“Let’s make sure we share the road safely, responsibly and make sure we get to where we’re going without having to make a stop over at the collision reporting centre,” Schmidt said.