What happened to the snow in the GTA Thursday?

Thursday's storm in Ontario brought a messy wintry mix, but why did the snowfall forecast not pan out in parts of the Greater Toronto Area?

Thursday’s winter storm brought a little bit of everything to southern Ontario, as ice, snow, rain, and even a few claps of thunder rolled through the region. From the onset, the complexities of this storm made it a bit of a forecaster's nightmare.

Many regions across southern Ontario did see the freezing rain that was anticipated, making a mess of roadways and prompting widespread school bus cancellations first thing Thursday morning. The icy conditions also contributed to a 17-vehicle pile-up on the Garden City Skyway in the Niagara Region early.

PHOTOS: Icy storm snarls traffic in southern Ontario, knocks out power

Some snow did fall as well, especially the slushy mixed variety, but cities along the lakeshore, like Toronto, mainly saw rain and not the 5-15 cm of snow that was initially forecast. Simply put -- it just did not get cold enough.

GTA3

"Temperatures did not support the snow as expected," says Nicole Karkic, a meteorologist at The Weather Network. "It was above freezing for Toronto through much of the day and evening and the milder air pushed further north than forecast."

A winter travel advisory was in effect for most of the evening however, as the wet and slushy weather still contributed to slick and messy driving conditions.

WATCH: Torontonians on the winter storm that turned to rain