'First significant' snowstorm hits parts of Canada, while other areas prepare for record-breaking heat

Backed up traffic and slippery sidewalks The full impact of the snow that started on Monday was on full display in Calgary on Tuesday morning.

It's starting to look like winter for some Canadians as a snowstorm buries parts of the Prairies and northern Ontario, while others soak up a possible record-breaking weekend.

Environment Canada issued a snowfall warning for communities in northern Ontario for the "first significant" storm of autumn.

The communities from Kenora to James Bay are impacted by the storm, Environment Canada said. Some communities just outside the snowfall warning can expect a "messy mix" of freezing rain, ice pellets and snow.

"Snow, at times heavy, will develop this morning over portions of far northern Ontario," the warning reads. "Snow will diminish in intensity this evening before tapering to flurries later tonight."

Precipitation could fall between two to four centimetres per hour, accumulating to 10 to 20 centimetres by the end of the day.

The storm tracked its way into Ontario overnight Thursday from the Prairies, where it left messy roads and dumped between 11 to 36 centimetres of snow in Calgary.

After the storm passed through, a cold front set in and dropped temperatures in the city to -16 C.

The storm also gave residents in Manitoba their first taste of winter, with about 10 to 20 centimetres of snow recorded in some communities close to the U.S. border.

The same storm that travelled across the Prairies knocked out power to more than 95,000 BC Hydro customers on Tuesday. Rain that turned into snow was dumped across the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.

POSSIBLE RECORD-BREAKING HEAT

While northern Ontario braces for snow, southern Ontario communities could see record-breaking heat for this time of year.

On Friday, Toronto is expected to see a high of 24 C and a low of 13 C. If the high is reached, it will make for the hottest Oct. 27 on record for the city since 2000 when temperatures soared to 22.7 C.

This comes after a string of record-breaking heat seen this month. Toronto broke two consecutive weather records on Oct. 3 and 4.

The heat is isolated to the Greater Toronto Area toward London, Ont., where a few other communities could reach highs of 24 C on Friday, potentially breaking local records.

Clear skies can be expected in some communities east of Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada over the weekend.