Winter weather has greeted Toronto with a proverbial slap in the face as temperatures haveplummeted in the cityand are predicted to drop even more in the coming days. And right when it starts to warm up just a bit, Toronto is expected to be hit with a significant dumping of snow on the weekend.

According to aspecial weather statementfrom Environment Canada, a large system is expected to bring heavy snowfall to Southern Ontario starting on Friday evening and into Saturday. TheWeather Network estimatesthat we could get as much as 25 centimetres by Sunday, though that includes asmaller system on Thursday.

It's possible that the snow turns to rain in some parts on Saturday, but forecasters aren't sure yet how it will play out. In any case, it's shaping up to be a mess, whether it be snow or slush.

As far as silver linings go, it's beginning to look like a white Christmas could be in the cards, and at least the storm is supposed to hit after the Friday commute, potentially averting anothernightmare on the TTC.