Winter's initial wallop of the season packed quite a punch Saturday.
It started like a typical winter morning with about five centimetres of snow as people began to greet the day.
But an intense snow squall set its sights on Orillia and dug in, dropping more than 40 centimetres of snow on the area before it finally subsided at about 3:30 p.m.
The frenetic fall of flakes prompted the Orillia OPP to "strongly advise" motorists to stay off Highway 11, which was closed north of Orillia near Washago.
North of Orillia was even harder hit as some areas between Gravenhurst and Parry Sound saw more than 100 centimetres of snow fall in the last 24 hours. It led Bracebridge, Gravenhurst and the Distirict of Muskoka to declare a 'significant weather event.'
It was so bad that Santa's Village shut down.
And hundreds of people and vehicles have been stranded on Highway 11, some for several hours after dozens of collisions during the early moments of the storm meant plows were unable to clear the busy road.
In the midst of chaos and stress, the snow turned the area into a winter wonderland, covering buildings and statues with a beautiful white blanket.
If you have a photo from today's winter storm, email it to dave@orilliamatters for possible publication in our gallery.
