GTA to experience blowing snow, Saturday

TORONTO, Ont. - Blowing snow could be a problem for drivers on Saturday.

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for Toronto, Halton, Peel, York, Barrie, Niagara, Hamilton and surrounding areas.

Between two to five centimetres of snow is expected for much of southern Ontario on Saturday, with five to ten centimetres near Lake Huron and Georgian Bay.

Winds will be between 30 and 50 kilometres an hour with gusts of 70 kilometres an hour, and that could reduce visibility on the road.

Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Dave Woodford said if you drive in this part of the province you have to be ready for anything.

"We're faced with numerous conditions and they could change rapidly, and you have to be prepared," Sgt. Woodford said. "Automatically your senses should go off and say 'I've got to slow down, I can't continue at the speed I'm going.'"

Meteorologist Jill Taylor at the 680News weather centre the weather rollercoaster continues.

"By Tuesday, milder air moves back in and we could be dealing with that rain-snow mix again," Taylor explained. "So quite a mixture of weather for us, with extremes in the temperature this winter."

Taylor added that the wind-snow mixed together will make driving difficult.

"This is a new system that will move in and it'll bring us a couple of centimetres of snow. With the blowing snow, it'll really reduce visibility, so you really have to watch for that beginning early Saturday morning. It'll affect a large portion of southern Ontario."

Syvlana Acceto from CAA told 680News the storm actually has pretty good timing.

"The good news is that on the weekend people don't have to be on the roads. You can stay off the roads and then just shift your plans to the next day or later in the week," explained Acceto.

She added that drivers need to prepare for the weather if they are heading out.

"Drivers really need to plan ahead and be prepared. Especially now. They may be a little bit rusty out there. They may not be as prepared because, in the GTA, we have had a relatively mild winter.

Less traffic on the roads means the CAA will not be as busy as it would be had the storm hit in the middle of the week, which should help response time.

Friday's icy conditions are believed to have played a major role in a two-car crash in East Gwillimbury, east of Newmarket, in the Kennedy Road and Mount Albert Road area.

Porter Airlines is advising anyone flying out of the Island Airport to call ahead. At Pearson International Airport, around a dozen flights to Montreal and Cleveland have been grounded.