TORONTO, January 23, 2026 — Wear extra layers and keep your skin covered, Toronto, as two Yellow-level weather alerts have been issued by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) for the GTA this weekend, with an extreme cold alert for Friday night delivering wind chill temperatures as low as -33 celsius, followed by a winter snow storm expected to land here on Sunday delivering approx. 20 – 30 cm snowfall along with continued Polar Vortex cold temperatures of around -25 with the wind chill.
Bitter Cold
Bitterly cold conditions are expected to begin Friday evening into Saturday morning, with wind chills near minus 30 to minus 33.
Extreme cold puts everyone at risk. Watch for cold-related symptoms: shortness of breath, chest pain, muscle pain and weakness, numbness, and colour change in fingers and toes.
Protection
Cover up. Frostbite can develop within minutes on exposed skin, especially with wind chill. Check on older family, friends and neighbours. If it’s too cold for you to stay outside, it’s too cold for your pet to stay outside. Outdoor workers should take regularly scheduled breaks to warm up.
And if unbearable cold isn’t enough, the GTA is also going to get another dump of snow on Sunday!
Snow Storm
A local lake effect snow band is expected to begin Sunday morning and broaden in the early afternoon, delivering widespread snow and ending Sunday night.
Details from ECCC
This “Lake effect snow” driven by easterly winds off Lake Ontario may develop early Sunday morning, producing localized snowfall and reduced visibility.
By Sunday afternoon, snow is expected to become more widespread as a broader system moves into the area. As this occurs, lake enhancement is likely, which will lead to locally higher snowfall amounts in certain areas.
The exact placement and intensity of the heavier snowfall remains uncertain at this time.
Safety concerns
Roads and walkways may be very difficult to navigate. Visibility may be suddenly reduced to near zero at times. Travel delays and/or cancellations are possible. Allow extra time for travel. Prepare for possibly prolonged disruptions to transportation, services, and utilities.
Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada. To report severe weather, send an email to ONstorm@ec.gc.ca or post reports on X using #ONStorm.
feature photo by Stephen Uhraney
Other articles from totimes.ca – otttimes.ca – mtltimes.ca