Thousands of Ontarians woke up to thick layers of snow blanketing houses, cars and roads after the first heavy snowfall of the season hit parts of the province Saturday night.

After Environment Canada issued snowfall warnings for large swaths of northern and central Ontario, some areas received up to 20 centimetres of snow.

Many residents posted photos of the snow on social media using the hashtag #onstorm and #onsnow.

While some were excited about the unofficial start of winter, others weren’t so happy.

What to expect

The snowfall warnings for Ontario have now been lifted, but the snow is expected to last for the rest of the weekend.

Environment Canada has issued special weather statements for regions in the southern part of Ontario, including, Waterloo-Wellington, Barrie-Orillia-Midland, Huron-Perth and Dufferin-Innisfil.

Up to 10 centimetres of snow are expected in these regions.

The rest of the province could see some flurries by Sunday afternoon, but no significant accumulation is expected.

Meanwhile, parts of southern Quebec remain under snowfall warnings, where Saturday’s heavy snow squalls are expected to continue well into Sunday.

Motorists in affected regions are being urged to exercise caution, as they could face reduced visibility and other treacherous road conditions.

Detailed forecasts are available on the Environment Canada website.

Winter officially begins on Dec. 21.