Toronto (eCandaNow) - A new blast of winter weather has charged into Eastern and Southern Ontario today, and has resulted in the closing of offices, schools and industry. 

A number of domestic and international airline flights have also been canceled because of the storm.

At the local Pearson International Airport there has been a rash of cancellations due to the storm, as of 7am EST on Friday there had been as many as two hundred flights apparently canceled. Some of these cancellations are the result of winter weather affecting other parts of Canada and the United States as this storm system has swept over the continent.

Areas to the north of Toronto should be visited with about twenty-five to thirty centimetres of snow.  Other areas throughout the region should expect to see between twenty to thirty centimetres of snow. 

“Some of these areas may have freezing rain or ice pellets,” said Meteorologist David Rodgers.

“The last time we had a storm with this type of track, we saw over 50 centimetres of snow,” said Mr. Rodgers. 

This was in mid December 2007, and that storm hit Quebec and Ontario very swiftly.

Areas along Highway 401 are expected to be hardest hit.  Ontario Provincial Police is warning all traffic and motorists to stay home and off the roads. 

White out and blowing snow conditions are expected throughout the day and into the weekend.