Winter travel advisories issued for snow and ice across Ontario Tuesday

A spring-like warm-up is headed to Ontario this week, but not without a round of messy winter weather first. Travel advisories were issued across the south, warning of heavy snow and potentially difficult driving conditions throughout the day on Tuesday. Multiple commute times will likely be impacted.

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A potent disturbance is set to bring 5-10 cm of snowfall across a good swath of southern Ontario Tuesday, in addition to a mix of freezing rain and/or ice pellets for some. Freezing rain warnings also cover parts of the south.

Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become icy and slippery. Ice buildup may cause tree branches to break. Utility outages may occur. Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions.

More on the timing and impacts, below.

Tuesday: Brace for difficult winter driving

Snowfall and icy precipitation started Tuesday morning in extreme southwestern Ontario. The ice is expected to change over to rain by Tuesday afternoon in Windsor. Throughout the day, snow will spread from Sarnia to Niagara, lifting into the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) by the lunch hour.

Evening commutes will be impacted with accumulating snowfall, and heavy snow falling at times.

Between 5-10 cm is expected across the Golden Horseshoe, with periods of reduced visibility likely on the QEW, Gardener and 401. With temperatures hovering near the freezing mark, it’ll be a wet snowfall that could make for trickier driving conditions.

A chance for impactful ice pellets exists in Windsor, where a nose of warm air aloft may sneak just north of the border. This will lead to less snowfall totals here, but a slippery drive in and out of the city. Freezing rain warnings have been issued.

Through the day, warm air may surge north bringing rainfall briefly to Windsor, London and the Lake Erie shores during the late afternoon and early evening.

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Enjoy the snow while it lasts because a wall-to-wall warm-up in North America will bring an extended thaw across southern Ontario. It will not keep things white for long, especially as we end off January next week.

Wednesday and beyond: A milder, rainy pattern

As warmer air moves into the region, more moisture will come in on Wednesday bringing light rain to southwestern Ontario and the Golden Horseshoe.

A very warm and active pattern is setting up for Ontario, with yet another mild and rainy storm on tap late Thursday into Friday. This one will pack a lot more mild air and moisture, with heavy rainfall and a storm track over Lake Huron.

This round will engulf cottage country, north into Sudbury, and all of southern and eastern Ontario in rain, leading to a significant snow melt. Temperatures will be back to 4-6°C in Toronto, much warmer than the average daytime high of -2°C for this time of year.

A couple days of colder weather are forecast early next week, especially for eastern Ontario, but much milder weather and early spring-like temperatures are forecast for the second half of next week, and continuing well into the first week of February, as well.

However, winter is not over. We are watching the potential for an extended stretch of colder winter weather from mid-February through early March.

Stay with The Weather Network for the latest on your forecast across Ontario.

WATCH: See the 'ice art' that appeared on a Lake Erie pier during recent cold snap

Click here to view the video