Blast of winter weather makes for messy travel conditions in Toronto

Environment Canada has issued a winter weather travel advisory for Toronto and its surrounding regions, with periods of heavy snow causing messy driving conditions on the roads.

Five to 15 centimetres of snow were expected to accumulate by Monday evening, depending on the area.

The city was forecast to see up to 10 centimetres while areas north of Highway 407 may have seen higher amounts, according to Brad Rousseau, a meteorologist with Environment Canada. 

The more significant snowfall was forecast for the evening and night before tapering off into light flurries and possibly some freezing drizzle that could last into Tuesday morning, Rousseau said.

"Motorists should expect hazardous winter driving conditions and adjust travel plans accordingly," Environment Canada's travel advisory says. "Visibility may be suddenly reduced at times in heavy snow."

Temperatures are expected to hover around the freezing mark for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, before warmer daytime highs make their way to the GTA later in the week.

"It looks like the area should see a white Christmas barring anything too dramatic in terms of spikes in temperature," said Rousseau.