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© Twitter.com/@sickjalapenoSnow is seen falling in the downtown core Saturday afternoon in this photo submitted by a viewer.

Toronto and Peel region are under a snowfall warning as the first winter storm of the season bears down on the city. The storm is expected to dump between 15 and 20 cm of snow on the GTA between now and Sunday morning with the most intense snowfall likely occurring later this evening.

A winter storm watch is also in effect for Oakville, Burlington and Hamilton where cold easterly winds and extra moisture from the relatively mild lake water could result in even more snow, according to Environment Canada.

"The snowfall amounts could range from 15-20 cm here in Toronto and other areas towards Eastern Ontario may receive upwards of 30 cm," CP24 Weather Specialist Jamie Gutfreund said Saturday morning. "Wind speeds are also going to be gusting up to 50 km/h and because of those winds we could see blowing or drifting snow and that could reduce visibility on the roads."



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© Andrew CollinsSnow is shown falling in Burlington early Saturday morning as a winter storm arrives in the region.

In anticipation of the arrival of the storm, city salt trucks are already out in full force and plows will also be deployed so long as the snowfall exceeds 2 cm on city highways, 5 cm on main roads and 8 cm on local roads.

"We are certainly ready," Director of Transportation Services Peter Noehammer told CP24 Saturday morning. "We have been monitoring the storm as it approaches us and we are out there with our salters now in the west end and the central area and as the storm progresses we will continue with salting, probably for the bulk of this afternoon."

Increased number of accidents

The storm has already resulted in an increased number of accidents on GTA roads with the OPP reporting 46 collisions just between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m.

Several accidents on the Queen Elizabeth Way near Mississauga also resulted in the closure of the Fort-Erie bounds lane earlier Saturday morning. The accidents were reported to involve about 30 different vehicles.

"Slow down and keep that distance. The roads may not look that bad, but they do become icy very quickly," OPP Const. Dave Woodford told CP24 Saturday afternoon. "Far too many people drive like they normally would if the roads were completely dry and in good shape and they are the ones that usually end up in the ditch."

Travellers told to check flight status before leaving

Due to the weather, both Porter Airlines and Air Canada are advising passengers to check their flight status before heading to the airport.

As of 2:30 p.m., 27 flights that were scheduled to depart from Pearson International Airport had already been cancelled with another 16 flights departing from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport also cancelled.