It's been a long winter and if forecasters are right, it's nowhere near over.
The storm that threatened much of eastern Canada delivered a one-two punch right to the chin of the GTA Saturday, staggering would-be travellers and city crews in one fell swoop.
The first few jabs arrived during the afternoon rush hour on Friday. When it's all said and done, there could be well over 30 centimetres of accumulation by early Sunday, making this potentially one of the worst storms so far this winter, despite coming in the second week of March.
Environment Canada initially predicted the snow fall in southern parts of the province would be light and intermittent with about 5 to 7 centimetres in Toronto as of 8am Saturday.
But the heavy snow hit the city hard in the afternoon, bringing another 15 to 25 centimetres along with gusty winds. The final word was that we'd have to brace for another 5 to 10 centimetres the time the sun came up Sunday morning.
Meanwhile, the OPP have reported at least 700 traffic collisions across southern Ontario since the flakes began falling. Most of the incidents happened on Highways 401 and 400.
This latest snow blast could also set a new all-time snow record for the season. At least 171 centimetres have fallen so far this winter, not including what fell late Saturday. The last record was 207 centimetres set back in 1939.
Not only did that statistical reality mean bad news for drivers, it meant more frustration from storm-weary pedestrians and people that live on the countless side streets throughout Toronto. City crews say they have a plan to get rid of it all, but need some help as well.
"We'll be going into the side streets ... once the snow ends," promised Myles Currie with Toronto's Transportation Department. "It takes about 18 to 20 hours to clear all the snow from the side streets within the city."
In the meantime, the blanketing probably left you with a few questions about how things are going around the rest of the GTA. Let the links below guide you through
CityNews.ca's storm coverage.
Extreme Cold Weather Alert Means Extra Beds For The Homeless
OPP Urge Motorists To Stay Off Roads With Low Visibility
Saturday Storm Cancellations
Blizzard Is Bad News For March Break Travellers