An updated special weather statement from Environment Canada calls for a potentially precarious mix of snow and freezing drizzle for the Toronto area, expected to fall overnight before turning back into snow for Saturday morning.

The statement calls for between four and eight more centimetres of snow to fall by Saturday before tapering off later in the day, with a freezing drizzle and flurry hybrid possible this afternoon and into the evening. Between five and 10 centimetres of snow were already reported across the GTA by Friday morning, Geoff Coulson, warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada, told CBC Toronto.

"A lot of folks were wondering if we are going to have a white Christmas," Coulson said. "I think we've solved that problem for many folks in the GTA."

Snow blankets a quiet street in the Danforth and Donlands area early Friday morning. (Alan Habbick/CBC)

The inclement weather led to some school bus cancellations for the last day of classes before the Christmas break.

While schools remained open, buses were cancelled for:

Toronto Catholic District School Board

Toronto District School Board

Halton District School Board (Zone 3 only)

Halton Catholic District School Board (Zone 3 only)

York Region District School Board

York Catholic District School Board

Durham Catholic District School Board (Zones 1, 2 and 3)

Durham District School Board (Zones 1, 2 and 3)

Buses were still running for the Peel District School Board and the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, but there were some delays.

'Slow down'

City workers were out plowing roads and sidewalks through the night, mobilizing Toronto's arsenal of 600 snowplows and 200 salt trucks.

Salting and plowing operations on our high pedestrian volume sidewalks commenced at approx 12:30am and will continue through the day. Multiple rounds of sidewalk plowing will be required. —@TO_WinterOps

Salting operations on main roads commenced at approx 9 - 10pm. Plowing operations on main roads commenced at approx 2am and will continue through the morning. —@TO_WinterOps

"We will deploy our equipment as we deem necessary," Mark Mills, the city's operations superintendent, told CBC Toronto on Thursday.

He added that street parking should only be used if absolutely necessary.

"We would ask that people take their time and slow down. We would also like to remind people that if you see our winter maintenance equipment working, to give us the time and space we need to do our job," he said.

The city asked that motorists consider using transit, if possible.

Snowplows clear Highway 401 near Keele Street in the very early morning hours on Friday. (Tony Smyth/CBC)

City workers were not the only ones out clearing the roads. Malls were bracing earlier this morning for an influx of last-minute shoppers on what is usually the busiest shopping day of the year, according to Moneris, a credit and debit processing company.

"We are looking to remove the snow from our lots immediately, in order to be ready for the people who will be coming to shop for the holiday season," Claire Santamarie, general manager of Yorkdale Mall, said Thursday ahead of the snowfall.

Meanwhile, commuters and shoppers alike faced not only wet weather, but brisk temperatures. Friday evening the temperature is expected to remain steady at -3 C. Northeast winds of about 20 km/h, which caused a a chill earlier in the day, should die down overnight.

The daytime high on Saturday is forecast to 0 C, which is normal for this time of year, Coulson said. But then a cold front moves in, and will stick around well into 2018.

The forecast high for Boxing Day is -8 C, he said.

"What is noteworthy is that starting on Christmas Day and finishing off December and likely lasting well into the first part of the month of January, we are forecasting temperatures to turn a lot colder," he said.