Snow clearing equipment will be spread across Toronto today ahead of an anticipated winter storm that could drop as much as 10 centimetres of snow on the region.

The move is part of the city’s revised winter weather readiness plan, which will see salt trucks deployed as soon as snow starts sticking to the ground rather than wait for it to significantly accumulate.

A special weather statement issued around 1 p.m. Wednesday for the City of Toronto is forecasting “a risk of freezing rain followed by snowfall” on Thursday.

About five to 10 centimetres of snow is expected, Environment Canada warned in the latest statement, with a risk of freezing rain with ice buildup.

“Freezing rain is possible late Thursday morning before transitioning to snow Thursday afternoon. Snow will taper to flurries or drizzle Thursday evening,” the statement said.

“Strong wind gusts beginning early Thursday morning and diminishing Thursday evening.”

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday morning, Mayor John Tory said they have 1,100 pieces of equipment “at the ready” to deal with the storm.

“People will see today some of that equipment being repositioned in different places around the city so it is literally ready to go to work on the streets and sidewalks,” he said. “I think the steps that are necessary will be taken.”

The city has already started salting certain roads in which there is a build up of ice, Director of Operations and Maintenance Vincent Sferrazza told CTV News Toronto.

“As of yesterday we were salting some locations that were experiencing some icy conditions,” he said.

In preparation for the storm, trucks will begin applying liquid brine to high-priority areas such as hills, expressways and bridges—if the temperatures drop enough.

“It will be ready dependent,” Sferrazza said. “But we are ready to activate tomorrow.”

STORM COULD MAKE TRAVEL 'CHALLENGING': TTC

In a news release issued Wednesday evening, the TTC said that based on the latest forecasts, the storm has the potential to make travel on buses, streetcars and other outdoor transit “challenging.”

As such, the TTC said it has activated its “severe weather plan” to keep riders moving, regardless of the conditons.

Some actions already taken by the transit agency ahead of the snowfall include deploying extra staff and vehicles, treating the buses and streetcars with anti-icing solution, and hiring private tow trucks to assist with any trapped vehicles.

The TTC said that Line 3 Scarborough will be open for morning service, but could close depending on how bad the weather gets. At least 20 buses will be on standby if the track is forced to close, the TTC said.

Similarly, should any issues arise on 512 St Clair streetcar route, customers will be serviced with replacement buses.

Also, subway trains will be stored in the network’s tunnels along the main lines to avoid any issues getting out of the yard and anti-icing and snow clearing protocols are already in place for all routes.

The TTC is advising customers to follow @TTCNotices or check ttc.ca for real-time transit updates throughout the storm.

CLIMATOLOGIST SAYS STORM COULD BE ‘VERY COMPLEX’

Speaking with CP24 Wednesday evening, Environment Canada Senior Climatologist Dave Phillips said Thursday’s storm could be "very complex" and "tricky" in nature and vary in different parts of the Greater Toronto Area.

“You could drive from one part of Toronto to the other and you could have very different weather,” he said, adding that while some areas of the GTA might see rain, others could see snow, freezing rain, ice pellets or a “congealed mixture of all of the above.”

“The only uniform thing in all of these areas around the Toronto area is the winds. The winds that would be from the southeast of 50, gusting up to 70, kilometres per hour.

In Toronto specifically, Phillips predicts the city will be “alright” overnight and into the morning commute.

At about mid-morning however, Phillips said, the city might see a few hours of ice pellets and freezing rain.

“But then soon after noon, it'll switch over to snow, heavy at times. And then by say six o'clock at night, there’ll just be periods of snow and then we'll end with flurries towards Friday morning,” he said. 

CITY PLANS TO TEST OUT NEW SNOW RESPONSE TECHNOLOGY

In November the city released its $109.5 million plan to ensure roads and sidewalks are cleared during the winter. The plan includes the use of new snow response technology and guidelines for winter readiness.

The city negotiated a new set of contracts for snow removal, Tory said, which will see salt trucks dispatched as soon as snow sticks to the ground.

Sidewalks and cycling lanes will be salted and ploughed simultaneously once two centimetres of snow accumulates.

It could take four to six hours to salt and plow major roads and expressways, while local roads could take between eight and 14 hours.

Tory added that since the new storm doesn’t appear to be “some sort of Armageddon,” it will be a good opportunity to test out new technology.

The new plan came after a severe blizzard that hit the Greater Toronto Area and parts of Ontario in mid-January, leaving up to 60 centimetres of snow on the ground in some regions.

Tory had to declare a “major snow storm condition” to remove the snow, which forced schools and major roadways to close across the city.

A city report found the snow removal cost the city more than $17 million, which is about 20 per cent of its annual winter maintenance budget.