Frigid arctic air settling in over Toronto bringing wind chills as low as –35

A frigid mass of arctic air is settling over southern Ontario, bringing with it wind chill values as low as –35 from Tuesday night right through to Friday morning.

Environment Canada has issued an extreme cold warning for the city, warning of the risk of frostbite developing "within minutes on exposed skin."

Overnight temperatures of –20 to –25 C are expected, with winds gusting to up to 70 km/h. 

The cold follows a major winter storm that dumped more than 20 centimetres of snow on the city, which made the morning commute painful for many on Tuesday. 

A snowy night in Toronto

6 years ago

Duration 0:44

Scenes from Toronto roads after Monday's winter storm.

In the Greater Toronto Area, roads were slippery for hours following the storm, provincial police said.

"Plows have been through, salt trucks have been through, but it's still a slick drive for a lot of people," Sgt. Kerry Schmidt, spokesperson for the Ontario Provincial Police's highway safety division, said on Tuesday.

"A lot of secondary roads are still snow-covered."

Schmidt said the OPP dealt with about two dozens crashes in the GTA on Tuesday morning.

In Whitby, Ont., for example, a crash involving a transport truck closed westbound lanes of Highway 401 at Thickson Road South. All eastbound lanes are now open. The driver was taken to hospital with minor injuries.

The truck was carrying hazardous material and cleanup was underway after some of it leaked, Schmidt said. The crash was weather related, he added, because there was blowing snow on the highway at the time.

The truck is now upright.

As for plowing early Tuesday, major highways were cleared as of 6 a.m. ET, Schmidt said.

Schmidt reminded drivers to clear snow from their cars before setting out and to give themselves extra time.

Shortly after noon, a pipe burst in the pedestrian tunnel that leads to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. Crews shut off the valve and are cleaning up residual water. Passengers are being directed to the ferry until the cleanup is done.

33 cm of snow fell at Pearson

Toronto's Pearson International Airport recorded about 33 centimetres of snow in total from the storm, which began at about noon on Monday and ended at about 3 a.m. on Tuesday, Environment Canada said. 

Monday's total at Pearson was 26.4 centimetres, while Tuesday's total so far is seven centimetres.

About 20 centimetres fell in downtown Toronto, while 23 centimetres fell in Mississauga and 28 centimetres in Brampton, Environment Canada reported.

The GTA got the highest snowfall amounts of anywhere in the province because of easterly winds coming off the Great Lakes, said Peter Kimbell, warning preparedness meteorologist for Environment Canada, based in Ottawa.

Kimbell said Monday's total of 26.4 centimetres at Pearson did not break a record, but it was the highest snowfall amount recorded at the airport since Feb. 6, 2008, when 30.4 centimetres of snow fell.

Snow causing TTC delays

The weather caused a number of major delays and cancellations across the Toronto Transit Commission system. 

The Line 3 Scarborough RT remained out of service on Tuesday, but shuttle buses were available.

Subway service resumed on Line 2 between Woodbine and Kennedy stations, but east-end commuters were significantly delayed early Tuesday.

A signal issue on Line 2 at Pape station caused "longer than normal travel times" westbound from Woodbine to Yonge stations.

Various bus routes experienced delays, detours and cancellations.

Check the TTC service alerts Twitter account for more details on what's running and what isn't. 

Some GO transit buses were also cancelled, and some trains were delayed. 

No school in Peel, Halton regions

The Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board and Durham District School Board opted to cancel all school buses — but schools remained open. 

Meanwhile, the Peel District School Board, Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board and Halton District School Board went further, cancelling school for the day.

In Toronto, Crestwood Preparatory School and both Leo Baeck day schools were closed, as were all schools in the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board.

York Region District School Board kept its schools open and buses running. 

2 university campuses delayed opening

University of Toronto Scarborough Campus was also closed until 10 a.m., and University of Toronto Mississauga was closed until noon ET.   

Sheridan College, meanwhile, opted to close and cancel all classes for the day.  

Some flights cancelled

On Tuesday morning, Toronto Pearson International Airport reported some flights had been cancelled.

That's nothing compared to the situation Monday, when a third of all flights leaving Pearson were cancelled.

Still, it's worth checking the airport's arrivals and departures board to check on the status of your flight.