Toronto faces dangerous cold as Alberta clipper targets GTA with 5–10 cm of snow Wednesday

Toronto is locked in another day of dangerous cold, and while a major winter storm is set to hammer large parts of the United States this weekend, its impact on southern Ontario — including the GTA — remains highly uncertain.

The bitter temperatures continue to dominate the local forecast, with wind chills in the minus‑20s through Tuesday morning and afternoon. A brief mid‑week warmup arrives with Wednesday’s Alberta clipper, but another surge of Arctic air is expected to settle in by late week.

CityNews meteorologist Natasha Ramsahai says a high‑impact winter storm is expected to hit the U.S. South, Southern Plains, Tennessee Valley and Mid‑Atlantic this weekend. While that system will be a major weather maker south of the border, its northern edge is still difficult to pin down.

As of midday Tuesday, two out of three long‑range models show the storm completely missing southern Ontario and the GTA. One model brings the northern edge of the snow into the GTA sometime Saturday night into Sunday morning.

Ramsahai says it will take another 24–48 hours before forecasters have a clearer sense of whether the GTA will see accumulating snow or remain on the quiet northern fringe of the system.

What to expect this week

Tuesday brings sun and clouds with the chance of flurries, but the cold remains the headline. Winds of 30–50 km/h keep the wind chill near –20 despite a high of –9°C.

Tonight, cloud cover increases ahead of Wednesday’s clipper. Low: –13°C.

A fast‑moving clipper arrives late Wednesday morning, spreading 5–10 cm of snow across the GTA through the afternoon and early evening.

Behind the clipper, another blast of Arctic air settles in, with Thursday’s forecast calling for a mix of sun and clouds, a high of 5°C, and a low of 12°C. For Friday, there’s a chance of flurries, a high of 10°C, a low of 20°C, and wind chills near –30.

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