Spring storm to bring yet another blast of winter chill to Ontario this weekend

It’s been a bit of a shock for Ontario residents to realize that the enjoyable stint of sunny, 20 C weather we saw earlier this month was a fleeting burst rather than the start of spring in full swing, and this weekend is set to serve as even more of an unfortunate reality check.

Meteorologists are forecasting that from Friday, March 28 through to Sunday, March 30 — technically the second weekend of spring proper — a large swath of the province, including the GTA, will be hit with a deep chill complete with some freezing rain.

The weather outlook for Toronto in coming days calls for highs to drop to near 0 C, which will feel more like -5 C at the worst of times —  a firm reminder that it’s not quite time to break out the summer wardrobe just yet, though the flakes of snow that have been falling across the city yesterday and today may have been enough of an indication.

Moving up out of the city and towards cottage country, areas spanning northward from Peterborough and Orillia could see decent accumulations of snowfall as we are hit with that freezing rain razzle dazzle in and around the city, with 5-10 cm of the white stuff anticipated to fall Friday, compounding existing amounts from earlier in the week.

“The snow and cold weather will stick around as we move through this final week of March,” The Weather Network (TWN) warns residents of the province as we kick off the week, adding that, unfortunately, “the colder-than-normal temperatures will dominate into the first few days of April, as well.”

It is advising residents to keep an eye out for messy road conditions in the days to come, as mixed precipitation and near-zero temps could mean poor visibility, slick roads and increased travel times. High winds could also lead to some tree damage and power outages across Southern Ontario,