Winter storm continues to batter Toronto, causing hazardous travel conditions, flight delays
Heavy snowfall that began Saturday afternoon is expected last until Sunday night, Environment Canada says
Heavy snowfall that began Saturday afternoon hammered Toronto and its surrounding areas through the day Sunday, impacting roads, transit and air travel.
The city remains under a winter storm warning, with 15 to 25 centimetres of snow expected to accumulate by the end of Sunday, Environment Canada said in an updated warning Sunday.
Accumulating snow could make for hazardous travel conditions, and blowing snow could reduce visibility, Environment Canada warns. People in and around the city are encouraged to consider postponing non-essential travel until conditions improve.
At its peak Sunday, the storm could bring three to five centimetres per hour, Environment Canada says.
Parts of the Niagara Peninsula may also see a period of freezing rain Sunday morning. Storm warnings are also in effect for other parts of Ontario and Quebec.
Storm prompts closures, impacts travel
In the last 24 hours, Ontario Provincial Police's highway safety division has responded to nearly 200 collisions and 150 vehicles stuck in the snow in the Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton, says a post on X.
Earlier in the day, Sgt. Kerry Schmidt, spokesperson for the division, said police are encouraging people to avoid travel if possible as the snow is creating challenging driving conditions.
If you need to be out on the roads....stay in control and stay safe <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OnStorm?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OnStorm</a> ^ks <a href="https://t.co/9i0fXZsO3i">pic.twitter.com/9i0fXZsO3i</a>
—@OPP_HSDCrews at Pearson International Airport have been working tirelessly to remove snow from runways since Saturday night, with more than 160 pieces of equipment deployed, said Erica Vella, spokesperson for Toronto Pearson.
The airport has received about 19 centimetres of snow as of 1 p.m. Sunday, Vella said, the airport said on X, bringing the total accumulation for the week to just over 60 centimetres. That's more snow than the airport got over the entire 2023/2024 winter season, she said.
On Sunday morning, FlightAware reported nearly 200 delayed flights at the airport and just over 200 cancellations.
However, Vella said about 25 per cent of departing flights and 28 per cent of arriving flights had been cancelled as of 11 a.m. Sunday, "so the vast majority of flights continue."
The storm has had a significant impact on transit across the city, said Toronto Transit Commission spokesperson Adrian Grundy.
Subway service on Line 2 between Woodbine and Kennedy, and on Line 1 between Lawrence and Bloor-Yonge stations, is being replaced by shuttle buses Sunday due to snow build up on the tracks, Grundy said.
"Above ground, we're seeing significant delays across most routes and that's just due to general road conditions," he said.
The build-up of snow is also making it difficult for buses and streetcars to deploy accessibility ramps, he said, though the TTC's Wheel-Trans service is still running.
Service has been stopped at 56 TTC stops due to the storm. Grundy said those stops are located in hilly areas that are unsafe for buses to operate due to the poor road conditions.
In addition, all TTC express routes will run as local service Sunday, with the exception of the 900 and 927 routes.
The TTC has extra staff and maintenance vehicles deployed throughout the city this weekend to spread salt, clear snow and keep lines moving through the snow, according to a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Grundy said the transit agency is hopeful that most routes will be back up and running on a normal schedule by Monday, but said it could take a little longer due to the volume of snow.
Provincial transit agency Metrolinx has adjusted its schedules this weekend. The changes will be in effect from Saturday to Monday, it said in an email.
For Lakeshore West customers, GO Trains that start or end in Oakville will not run, but trains will continue to run every 30 minutes between Union Station and Oakville GO. No changes are in effect for customers between Bronte and Niagara Falls.
For Lakeshore East customers, GO Train service will be on a modified run leaving every 30 minutes between Union Station and the Oshawa GO station.
Metrolinx is operating GO Bus routes on its regular Saturday schedule throughout the long weekend, but customers should prepare for delays due to the winter road conditions, the email says.
The storm has also prompted some closures. The Royal Ontario Museum and Art Gallery of Ontario will be closed Sunday, while the City of Toronto's History Museum sites will remain closed until Monday. The Toronto Zoo is closed Sunday, but still plans to reopen for Family Day Monday.
The City of Toronto says 311 requests are on hold Sunday due to the weather, while all Toronto Public Library branches are also closed.
In Mississauga, all city-operated community centres, arenas, cultural facilities and outdoor skating rinks are closed Sunday due to the weather, the city's website says.
Parking ban remains in effect on snow routes
Toronto received between eight to 10 centimetres of snow accumulation overnight, the City of Toronto said in a news release.
That's on top of the nearly 20 centimetres of snow that fell overnight Wednesday and into Thursday morning, city officials said Friday.
The storm last week also brought more than 30 centimetres of snow to Mississauga overnight Wednesday, the City of Mississauga said in a news release. That's the most snowfall Mississauga has seen in nearly two years, it said.
The City of Toronto is keeping its significant weather event and "major snowstorm condition" declarations in effect over the weekend and possibly longer, depending on how much snow the city ultimately gets, Barbara Gray, the city's general manager of transportation services, said at a news conference Friday, ahead of the storm.
Below-zero temperatures next week means the snow might stick around for a while, Gray said.
"Much of the snow that's there will only move if we move it, so it's going to take some time."
The significant weather event declaration means the city will be exempt from provincial service levels for winter maintenance, as it will take longer than usual to clear city roads, sidewalks and bicycle lanes.
Parking on designated snow routes is also prohibited while the "major snowstorm condition" is in effect, to allow for quicker snow removal.
Several other municipalities are also under a "significant weather event" declaration, including Brampton, Mississauga, Burlington, Vaughan and the Municipality of Clarington.
While under the weather event designation, street parking in Brampton is prohibited to allow snow clearing crews to safety pass, the city's website says.
As of 10 a.m. Sunday, Toronto police have issued more than 1,700 parking tickets since the parking ban went into place, and towed 16 vehicles, the city said in a news release. Those ticketed face a fine of up to $200.
Warming centres remaining open Sunday
The following warming centres will remain open Sunday, the city said in a social media post:
- 136 Spadina Rd. (south of Dupont St.)
- 81 Elizabeth St. (behind City Hall. West of Bay St., south of Dundas St. W.)
- 12 Holmes Ave. (Off of Yonge St., south of Finch Ave. E.)
- 885 Scarborough Golf Club Rd. (East of Markham Rd., south of Ellesmere Rd.)
- Metro Hall, 55 John St. (East of John St., north of Wellington St. W.)
People do not have to call ahead to access warming centres. The city welcomes walk-ins.
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