Environment Canada now says that the GTA could receive up to 30 centimetres of snow as a major winter storm continues to hit the city.
Schools across the GTA are closed today and Environment Canada is warning drivers to “prepare for quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions.”
The snow is expected to taper off later this afternoon, according to Environment Canada.
The latest
- A yellow snowfall warning is in effect for the GTA
- Environment Canada says that 20 to 30 cm of snow is possible
- The snowfall is expected to stop by 2 p.m.
- Wind gusts of up to 50 km/h are possible
FULL FORECAST: For a look at the hour-by-hour forecast, including snowfall totals, click here
Stay tuned here for LIVE updates throughout the day:
7:15 a.m. – TTC cancels express buses
The TTC says all express bus service has been cancelled due to the winter storm.“All express service cancelled due to inclement weather. All buses will be operating local routing,” the transit agencysaid in an update posted to social media earlier this morning.
7: 10 a.m. – GO Transit warns of delays
Metrolinx says most GO trains are running as scheduled, but warns riders to expect delays as the winter storm moves through the region.
“During today’s heavy snowfall, customers may experience some delays and are encouraged to take extra care while travelling, give themselves extra travel time and to plan ahead,” the agency told CP24 in an update.
Metrolinx says it is currently experiencing some bus delays and is running a modified train service on the Richmond Hill line, with trains operating express from Gormley GO to Langstaff GO.
Customers are being encouraged to check the agency’s website for the latest service updates.
7 a.m. – CAA anticipating busy day
CAA Winter Driving Expert Nadia Matos says that call volumes have not picked up significantly as of yet but she anticipates calls for service and the wait time for service will “creep up throughout the day.”
“We find that when the snow is coming in like this and with all the cancellations at the school boards and perhaps people are able to work from home, it is actually a bit quitter,” she told CP24. “When the storm starts to lift mixed in with this deep freeze that is when we start to see people actually giving us a call and saying ‘Hey, I need to get going.’”
Matos says that she urges drivers to prepare as much as they can for the conditions, if they need to head out. She says that means leaving plenty of time to commute, making sure your vehicle has extra windshield washer fluid and, most importantly, slowing down.
“We are Canadians. Be courteous and allow other people to merge when we know that lanes are not visible and it is a more difficult drive out there,” she says.
6:30 a.m. – When will the snow stop?
CP24 Meteorologist Bill Coulter says that the heavy snow will continue until around noon and should taper off entirely by 2 p.m. He says that the total snowfall accumulation in Toronto is likely to range between 15 and 25 centimetres. Bitter cold will accompany the snow with a high of – 9 C this morning that will feel more like – 22 with the wind chill.
“The depth of temperature is already a big story, it is bitterly cold and then we have the snow coming down and because it is this cold it is less dense so you get double the snow that you would with the same moisture content because it is less dense and it piles up,” Coulter says.
