Squalls deliver first dusting of snow to Greater Toronto Area

Torontonians woke up to their first taste of snow this morning, thanks to squalls blowing off of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay.

This was the scene early this morning in downtown Toronto and across much of the GTA, as a band of snow blew down through cottage country, across the Metro area and out over Lake Ontario.

The squall dropped about 2 centimetres of snow on the ground. Normally, a first dusting of snow doesn't even show up on the ground, but due to this morning's chilly temperatures most of what fell actually stuck around long enough for people to catch a few good pictures of it.

and since it was wet snow off the lake, it could actually make a half-decent snowball,

That first dusting of snow has already melted for most of the GTA, so it really amounted to just a reminder that winter is coming. However, although squalls blowing off Lake Huron usually don't reach that far, the gusty winds today are strong enough to push them all the way to Toronto and so the city may see several dustings throughout today and possibly for Sunday as well. Snowfall amounts likely won't be very much, but the squalls have already caused whiteout conditions in some areas and the sudden reduced visibility can be a hazard for anyone on the roads.

These snow squalls are delivering some much heavier snowfall amounts to other parts of southwestern Ontario, though.

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Warnings are in effect from Sarnia to London, through southern parts of Huron and Perth counties, and from Aurora to the eastern shores of Lake Simcoe. Gusty northwest winds blowing off of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay could drop between 15 and 30 cm of snow in just 12 hours under the heaviest bands. These squalls are expected to last throughout the day today and through Sunday, before finally giving out Sunday night.

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