"Roads could get iced up rather quickly, said Mark Schuster, operational meteorologist with Environment Canada, noting highways could see the worst conditions. Regions north and northeast of Toronto could see significant snowfall into the evening hours, he said. The risk of snow squalls, or bursts of heavy snow, is expected late Thursday morning and in the afternoon with about two centimeters of snow coming down in total."
Areas along the southern and western coasts of Lake Michigan experienced a phenomenon known as lake effect snow on Monday. This develops when cold air which covered the US this week moves over the relatively warm water of a lake or inland sea. This produces convection and heavy showers that move inland downwind of the lake, and can continue for hours or even days on end. Snowfall totals can be extremely localised and are notoriously difficult for forecasters to predict.
