Thundersnow hits Toronto, streets are buried! Lightning could be seen brightening the skies as the snow poured down over the city. Major winter snowstorm in Ontario, Canada #toronto #ontario #snow

On Friday evening, March 3, snow falls as thunder and lightning hit Toronto in a major winter snowstorm that battered much of southern Ontario, Canada. 

Lightning could be seen brightening the skies as the snow poured down over the city. Residents soon began to upload photos and videos of the phenomenon. There were reports of the CN Tower being struck by lightning. 

Toronto residents can expect about two to three inches of snow per hour and winds of up to 45 mph at peak times. In total, Toronto is expected to receive around 16 hours of snowfall. 

Toronto authorities said there were numerous vehicles getting stuck and urged motorists to stay off the roads. The weather agency said surfaces like highways, roads, walkways and parking lots could become difficult to navigate because of accumulating snow. Environment Canada strongly discouraged non-essential travel due to dangerous conditions. 

All city-operated community recreation centers will be closed tomorrow and all programs will be cancelled. The city announced on Friday evening that clearing work would be required by next week.

Thundersnows are most common in the Great Lakes region because cold air blowing across the relatively mild water of the Great Lakes forces the air upwards rapidly enough that the instability causes lightning and thunder in conjunction with heavy snow.