It is officially a snow day in Toronto, with Thursday marking one of the very few bursts of wintry precipitation that the city has had all season.

The white stuff began pummeling the city and the surrounding area early in the afternoon, with double-digit snowfall expected all over Southern Ontario.

Storm has arrived in Hamilton #HamOnt stay safe out there #ONstorm #snowing pic.twitter.com/EvC5qClHSQ

— Farina Templeton (@FarinaTempleton) February 15, 2024

Travel and weather advisories are in effect across the GTA as commuters head into the evening rush hour, and Environment Canada is warning motorists about the potential for reduced visibility and very heavy (and fast) accumulation.

A total of 5 to 10 cm is expected in Toronto proper, falling at a rate of 2 to 4 cm per hour.

The same is anticipated in the regions of York, Durham, Halton and Waterloo, based on EnviroCan's latest alerts. Slightly less is slated to hit Niagara, Peel and Hamilton, and slightly more in Barrie, around Georgian Bay, and in other more northerly parts of the province, some of which are expecting 15 cm.

Snow steadily falling across Toronto, already seeing some accumulation on the ground ❄#ONstorm #Toronto #torontonews pic.twitter.com/nfPkbkXYjb

— Daily News (@DailyUpdatesNet) February 15, 2024

After rapid and dense accumulation over the coming hours, the storm is expected to "taper to lake effect flurries this evening, particularly for areas north and west of the GTA," the agency writes, adding that this will include powerful winds with gusts of up to 70 km/h.

"The combination of these strong winds and the preceding fresh snowfall may lead to localized reduced visibility in blowing snow in rural areas."

The Weather Network is also advising people to be on the lookout for falling branches and power outages due to the gusts, calling this "quite a season flip for the region."

"The last time Toronto recorded near 10 cm of snowfall was nearly a year ago in March 2023," TWN meteorologists wrote on Thursday.

#ONStorm Winter Wonderland in downtown Toronto, Canada. #Snow #Snowstorm pic.twitter.com/ldPtE9MmDL

— RICK CORDEIRO ✌️ ☮️ 🕊 (@CordeiroRick) February 15, 2024

Travellers of all kinds should, of course, exercise extra caution and be prepared for delays for at least the remainder of today, including those taking the TTC, which just took a bunch of bus stops out of service around 1 p.m. as the storm kicked off.  Dozens of Toronto school buses have also been delayed.

Meanwhile, at Toronto Pearson International Airport, the arrivals board looks to be a complete mess, with many of Thursday's in-bound flights delayed, diverted or cancelled.

While transit-goers and air passengers may not be in the best spirits, not everyone seems grumpy about the return of weather that is far more appropriate for February than what we've been seeing.

After the lack of a white Christmas and an unnaturally balmy and grey January, most netizens seem to be taken aback to see the snow again, more than anything else.

Smells like snow ❄️🐻‍❄️ Stay safe today everyone #snowTO pic.twitter.com/jaQ8m3e0H9

— The Toronto Zoo (@TheTorontoZoo) February 15, 2024

The snowfall itself should end in the GTA by tonight, but lake-effect squalls will continue to hit other parts of the province over the weekend.

Port Elgin, Collingwood, Kincardine and surrounding areas will be walloped the hardest, with conditions worsened by the fact that Lake Huron and Georgian Bay haven't frozen over as much as they usually have by this time of year.

Driving conditions in these parts of Southern Ontario, as well as around ski resort areas near Barrie, will remain poor throughout the weekend, with the potential for whiteouts.

Join us on YouTube for real-time updates on the active winter weather sweeping Southern Ontario.
Our meteorologists are here to answer your questions and give the latest details on #ONStorm. Drop your questions below and watch live: https://t.co/XExOBa0H5f

— The Weather Network (@weathernetwork) February 15, 2024

TWN states, though, that roads will improve by Monday, with sun in the cards to start off the week as the snow sticks around due to the (finally) cooler seasonal temps.