Toronto has finally been released from the grips of a frigid polar vortex, though the exit of extreme cold temperatures has only set the stage for a different flavour of winter misery expected to hit the city this week.

Milder temperatures have flooded into Ontario after weeks of unreasonably cold weather, though this relief will be accompanied by a mix of rain and snow that could see accumulations reach the 10 cm mark in Toronto.

The Weather Network reports that "a disturbance pushing into Ontario will spread a batch of disruptive wintry weather over the region before southerly winds usher in a welcomed warmup as we end off the week."

In Toronto and the surrounding southern Ontario region, the system will kick off Monday with a light dusting of up to 5 cm of snow. However, The Weather Network warns that this snowfall will merely be an "appetizer" for the larger dump set to strike on Tuesday.

Meteorologists call for light periods of snowfall throughout the day, with the potential for traffic disruptions in the western GTA on Monday evening.

Tuesday is looking to be the diciest day of the week for commuters, with what The Weather Network describes as an "organized system" that will dump bands of snow in an area stretching from Sarnia to the west end of the GTA.

Most of the region can expect 10 cm of snow, including Toronto, though some areas to the west, including London, could see up to 15 cm fall on Tuesday.

Mild temperatures could translate to potentially wet snowfall that may contribute to slowdowns and accidents on local highways.

These same warmer temperatures — with daytime highs of 5 C anticipated for later in the week — are expected to bring a flood of moisture in from the Gulf of Mexico, which will make for rainy conditions in the GTA into Thursday and Friday.

Those conditions seem almost tropical after recent temperatures feeling like the -20s, bringing Toronto back to the conditions felt through December.

To underscore just how spotty this winter has been in Toronto, in a completely bananas statistic, The Weather Network reports that the balmy city of Vancouver experienced more snow last week than the 35 cm of snow Pearson Airport has recorded throughout the entire winter season.