Environment Canada says Sunday’s winter storm could end up dropping as much as 50 cm of snow in some parts of the Greater Toronto Area.
In an updated orange winter storm warning, the national weather service says the southern parts of Etobicoke and Mississauga could see the elevated totals due in large part to the band of lake-enhanced snow off Lake Ontario.
Other regions will see amounts of between 20 and 40 cm with snowfall rates of 5 to 8 cm per hour at the peak of the storm.
An orange alert is issued when severe weather is likely to result in significant damage, disruption or health impacts.
Wind gusts of up to 50 km/h are resulting in blowing snow, leading to hazardous driving conditions across Toronto and the GTA, while also resulting in hundreds of cancelled flights on Sunday.
The OPP said in a social media update just before 3 p.m. that they had responded to approximately 100 crashes over the past 24 hours in the GTHA.
“Toronto residents are encouraged to stay home and avoid all non-essential travel today,” the City of Toronto said in a social media post Sunday morning.
City of Toronto officials say snowplowing operations have begun as the snow is beginning to accumulate.
The snowfall is expected to peak in the afternoon and evening, before tapering off to periods of light snow or flurries overnight.
Similar orange warnings are in effect for Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Markham, Burlington, Oakville, Pickering, Oshawa, Hamilton and Niagara Falls.
Multiple transit issues and closures
As of 3:29 p.m. on Sunday there is no service on Line 6 Finch West LRT between Finch West and Humber College due to “switch issues,” the TTC says. Shuttle buses are running.
Line 1 Yonge-University is also being affected by weather conditions. As of 3:49 p.m. there is no service between Lawrence and St. Clair stations.
There is also no service on Line 2 Bloor-Danforth between Woodbine and Kennedy stations.
Hundreds of flight cancellations
Toronto Pearson International Airport says the storm is having an impact on its operations. As of 3 p.m. Sunday, more than 560 flights had been cancelled – 61 per cent of departing flights and 63 per cent of arrivals.
“Passengers are advised to check their flight status with their airline before coming to the airport, as the winter weather is impacting flight operations, and schedules may change throughout the day,” airport officials said on Sunday.
Toronto’s Billy Bishop airport says 33 flights have been cancelled on Sunday.
More than 16,000 flights have been cancelled across the U.S. since Saturday, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware, with more than 11,500 of those scheduled for Sunday. Aviation analytics company Cirium says its data shows that Sunday will be the highest cancellation event since the pandemic.
The City of Toronto says all library branches and museums will be closed, and it has cancelled all recreational programs at school locations today due to the weather. Community rec centres remain open but the city warns there may be localized closures due to the declining conditions.
The severe weather has also forced the Toronto Zoo to close its doors on Sunday for “safety and wellbeing of the animals, staff, volunteers and guests.” The Zoo will also be closed on Monday in order to allow for snow-clearing operations.
The City of Mississauga has declared a significant weather event due to the winter storm. City Hall, municipal office buildings and libraries will be closed Sunday, while municipal services will be suspended. Community centres and arenas are closed as of noon, except for the Paramount Fine Foods Centre, which is hosting the Scottie Tournament of Hearts event. Outdoor skating rinks are also closed until weather conditions make them safe to reopen.
The City of Hamilton has declared a similar significant weather event, resulting in the closure of all municipal buildings, community centres, arenas, museums and Gage Park Greenhouse.
The City of Oshawa says all city facilities will be closed on Sunday after declaring a significant weather event. City facilities will re-open no earlier than 12 noon on Monday.
Messy Monday commute
Toronto is not currently under any declarations, but that scenario could change come Monday as people prepare to return to work and school.
“This hits heading into the Monday commute, it’s going to be messy,” said Johnson. “We do our very best to keep plowing in real time, but if there is snow happening as we go through late Sunday into Monday morning, it will make for a messy commute.”
The storm could impact school closings in the GTA on Monday. The Toronto Catholic District School Board says if schools are closed on Monday, then high school exams scheduled for that day will be moved to Thursday. Exams currently scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday will proceed as planned.
The Toronto District School Board says it will be monitoring the snowfall on Sunday and will provide an update to parents and students by 6 a.m. Monday morning.
