March break won't catch a break from the weather :Toronto

Winter storm warning in effect for GTA
Friday, March 07, 2008

Toronto - Environment Canada has issued a winter storm warning for the GTA and most of southern Ontario.
A significant amount of snow -- up to 40 centimetres -- is expected,
starting Friday late-afternoon and into Saturday.
The storm is expected to last 36 to 48 hours.
It appears that the snow will come in two doses.
The first one will begin this afternoon for southwestern Ontario.
The heaviest snowfall is then expected beginning later Saturday.
Storm totals may be near 30-40 centimetres in some areas of southern Ontario,
with a potential for 30-50 centimetres of snow over the Niagara peninsula.
On Saturday, strong winds combined with fresh snow will cause
blowing snow to lower visibilities and create dangerous driving conditions.

When it finally leaves, the city is expected to be digging out from between 20-30 centimetres, potentially making this one of the worst storms of the winter. The flakes arrived at the worst time on Friday, just before the start of the afternoon rush. They weren't that heavy at the beginning, just steady, and while they hampered the rush home, causing the usual problems, the going was slow but steady.

But it won't stay that way for long. The snow began acculmuating early and it won't be slowing down much for a while. This storm is slated to last for at least 36 hours, and likely won't end until Sunday morning. Forecasters say it will come in waves, with varying intensities. The timeline isn't fixed but it appears this is what you should expect:
3pm Friday-1am Saturday: 2-5cm
1am-4am Saturday: 4-6cm
7am-11am: 6-8cm
11am-3pm: A brief break with flurries
3pm-9pm: 5-10cm

The city claims to be ready for this latest onslaught and they should certainly be good at it by now. The full compliment of Toronto's 600-plus plows will be out in force, trying to clear it all away. Remember that the main routes get the priority attention - your side street may have to wait for up to 24 hours after the snow ends for crews to reach it. You'll then have 12 hours to clear your sidewalk or face a $125 fine.
And all this white is costing us a lot of green. So far, Toronto has spent some $42 million of its $67 million snow removal budget. And this one threatens to take another big bite out of the little bit that's left. The problem: the city's budget year extends to December 2008, so next winter could prove to be a big financial challenge, too.

So how much is on the way where you are? Keep in mind this is still just a best guess, because any number of factors can change the outcome.
Possible Snow Totals by 9am Sunday
Toronto: 20cm
Niagara Falls: 25cm
Peterborough: 25cm
Barrie: 21cm
London: 27cm
Goderich: 15cm
Next week, temperatures will moderate somewhat, leaving us with rain and the chance to melt a lot of what's fallen almost non-stop since February - finally turning our March Break into a much needed March brake.