Winter blast blankets region in just 24 hours with more on the way

Residents were blasted back into winter in just 24 hours, with over 15 centimetres of snowfall blanketing the region.

The snowfall that started late Thursday morning in most areas ramped up Friday morning, coating streets, highways, sidewalks, and rooftops in a layer of white not seen in weeks amid unseasonably mild temperatures.

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"Winter returned," said David Phillips, senior climatologist with Environment Canada on Friday. "A lot of people had falsely thought it was over. They were already getting out the golf clubs, putting away the skis… Well, you know, nature always has the last call."

The heavy snowfall was coupled with gusty 80-kilometre-per-hour winds Thursday evening and overnight, reducing visibility on the roads.

City crews prepared for winter's return sprang into action, mobilizing plows and salt trucks to tackle main roadways and side streets throughout the night.

And it's not over yet.

"We're going to see off and on white," Phillips said. "Valentine's Day was the first time this month that we had temperatures in the afternoon that were below freezing, and we're going to see that for the next week."

Intermittent flurries remain in the forecast for Friday evening through to Monday, and according to Environment Canada, they will kick up again on mid-week.

Meanwhile, police remind motorists to completely clear vehicles before hitting the road, and to give road crews the space to safely clear the snow.

Environment Canada has ended the winter travel advisory issued Thursday morning.