Rapidly falling temperatures could make for icy surfaces Thursday, weather agency says

Rapidly falling temperatures could create slippery conditions in and around Toronto on Thursday, Environment Canada says.

In a winter weather travel advisory issued for the city as well as Durham, Peel and York regions on Wednesday night, the weather agency said below-freezing temperatures could make for icy highways, roads, walkways and parking lots, leading to a difficult morning commute.

The daytime temperature is set to drop to about -2 C Thursday.

"Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions. Slow down driving in slippery conditions. Watch for taillights ahead and maintain a safe following distance," Environment Canada said.

Toronto and surrounding regions were under three separate weather alerts Wednesday night: the winter weather travel advisory, a fog advisory and a special weather statement.

Fog reduced visibility on Wednesday night

Environment Canada said "locally dense fog" reduced visibility to near-zero in some areas. The fog was expected to dissipate after midnight due to strong northwesterly winds.

The special weather statement, in place since earlier this week, said an additional five to 15 millimetres of rain was expected Wednesday night.

"The frozen ground has a reduced ability to absorb this rainfall," the federal weather agency said, noting melting snow is also contributing to wet conditions.

Ryan Rozinskis, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, said the special weather statement will likely lift when snow starts falling Thursday morning, leaving only the winter travel advisory in place.

City ends major snowstorm condition declaration

The City of Toronto, meanwhile, said in a news release on Wednesday that its major snowstorm condition and significant weather event declarations, which came into effect on Feb. 12, ended at 4 p.m. Thursday.

"These declarations improved the efficiency of winter road maintenance as they prohibited parking on designated snow routes, allowing crews to plow and remove snow from the roads and sidewalks faster," the city said.

On-street parking is now permitted on designated snow routes, the city said. 

Snow removal, which involves crews collecting snow in dump trucks and moving it to designated snow storage sites, will continue, the city added.

Drivers are reminded to avoid parking where temporary orange "No Parking – Snow Removal" signs are posted because crews will be removing the snow from the area within 48 hours of the signs being posted, the city said.

Vehicles parked on streets with the temporary signs could be fined or towed at the owner's expense, the city added.

To help prevent flooding, the city says crews are working around the clock to inspect and clear catch basins, particularly those in low-lying areas.