Following an alarmingly warm start to winter, Mother Nature has snapped Toronto back to reality with a much more seasonally-appropriate deep freeze that, according to the latest forecasts, is set to continue with more cold and snow on the way.

Residents of the GTA are in for a one-two punch of stormy systems as we move into the weekend, with lake-effect snow squalls slated to hit the region both Thursday and Friday.

Niagara and Price Edward County will be among the hardest-hit, though the Weather Network is projecting "widespread, accumulating snowfall through Thursday" across the Golden Horseshoe.

"Both the morning and evening commutes will likely be impacted, so expect a slower drive," the agency notes, adding that Friday morning travels will also be impeded in some areas by the first system before the second one moves in from a different direction later that day.

Of course, it is favorite winter past time in TO.

— Queens Fort (@Bellyhungry) January 15, 2024

The public should expect winds and heavy snowfall around Lake Huron and Georgian Bay in particular, which will be good news for skiers and boarders heading to Blue Mountain and the Collingwood area.

Overall, between Thursday and Saturday, up to 25 cm of the white stuff is anticipated around Grand Bend and Sarnia and 10-25 cm along Lake Erie shores and the Niagara Peninsula, with lesser amounts of 5-15 cm on deck for Owen and Parry Sound, 5-10 cm for London and Windsor, and approximately 5 cm for Hamilton.

Around Toronto, those living just west of the GTA will likely see between 2 and 5 cm of accumulation, while the city should get a comparative sprinkling of less than 5 cm amid negative double-digit temperatures that will feel as bad as -23 C on Friday night into Saturday morning.

While the extended lake-effect event finally subsides Thursday, that doesn't mean the end of the snow. Back-to-back systems will slide into southern Ontario with more snow, making for tricky commutes. #ONstorm #ONwx https://t.co/nZkMEzJUwP

— The Weather Network (@weathernetwork) January 18, 2024

Meanwhile, the chill will be sticking around for at least a few days, after which El Niño will break the frigid spell with some warmer temperatures nationwide later next week and weekend.

TWN does warn that the milder air "will run into some resistance from the Arctic air that is in place, which will bring the threat for a couple rounds of messy weather across the region during the middle of the week with snow, ice and rain all on the table."

While the bitter cold can be hard to love, it does mean we can finally hit the skating rinks, (sanctioned) tubing and toboggan hills, and the ski resorts, which should be looking a little more wintry now than they were just days ago.