Toronto is waking up to a sharp blast of winter, with wind chills near –20 making for a frigid start to Tuesday before a round of snow sweeps in by evening.The city will see a mix of sun and cloud through the day, but the cold will linger despite southerly winds of 15–30 km/h. The daytime high is expected to reach only –6, though it will feel significantly colder during the morning commute.Snow arrives Tuesday evening, with 3–5 centimetres expected overnight along with blowing snow as winds pick up. Temperatures will hold near –6 into Wednesday morning.Conditions improve slightly midweek. Wednesday will be windy, with westerly gusts of 30–50 km/h, sunny breaks, and a chance of flurries. The high will climb to around the freezing mark before dipping back to –6 overnight.What to expect in the long-term forecastA quieter pattern settles in for the latter half of the week. Both Thursday and Friday bring a mix of sun and cloud, with Thursday’s high near -1 and Friday marking a modest warmup, with temperatures rising to 2°C. Overnight lows will gradually ease as well, hovering near –6 on Thursday night and close to the freezing point by Friday night.680 NewsRadio weather specialist Denise Andreacchi says Tuesday’s cold is well below seasonal for late February, with an Alberta clipper expected to deliver about 5 cm of snow between 6 p.m. and midnight. Andreacchi notes that temperatures will stabilize in Toronto on Wednesday as conditions turn windy but closer to seasonal, before a stretch of above‑zero highs arrives Friday and Saturday to wrap up the month. Another cooldown is expected afterward, with the first week of March trending below seasonal.The wintry stretch comes as a powerful storm system blankets parts of the northeastern United States with heavy snow, snarling travel and closing schools across several states. Major cities along the Interstate 95 corridor saw their first significant snowfall in months, with some regions reporting hazardous whiteout conditions and widespread delays.Click here to sign up for the CityNews Weather Guarantee and to check out Toronto’s extended forecast.With files from The Associated Press