GTA gets first blast of winter weather
Dozens of crashes on GTA highways reported, some flights delayed at Pearson airport
Toronto got its first blast of winter weather on Wednesday with high winds, cold and a bit of snow — as well as numerous crashes in and around the city.
A low-pressure system from the U.S. that landed in the morning brought snow and high winds to parts of the Toronto region, Environment Canada said.
For Wednesday night, a brief burst of heavy snow and high winds was expected, it said.
As for the temperature in Toronto, the forecast calls for – 2 C overnight, with the wind chill making it feel like – 7 C. On Thursday, the temperature will drop, with the forecast calling for a low of – 7 C at night. The wind chill, however, will make it feel like – 15 C.
Some flight delays were reported at Toronto's Pearson International Airport due to the weather. Travellers were urged to check the status of their flights with their airlines.
"Our team is moving aircraft safely, and as quickly as possible," Nav Canada Operations said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday.
Dozens of crashes reported on highways: OPP
OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said on Wednesday that officers were very busy with calls for service, with dozens of crashes through the morning alone on OPP-patrolled highways.
"Collision reporting centres are very busy," he said.
Snow continues to fall and could make for a longer commute in the morning. <br>The OPP are advising motorists to avoid non-essential travel until the weather system passes and the roads have been cleared. <a href="https://twitter.com/OPP_CR?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OPP_CR</a> ^ks <a href="https://t.co/fgEyJ1wuXN">pic.twitter.com/fgEyJ1wuXN</a>
—@OPP_HSDSchmidt said the weather system was continuing to create adverse driving conditions on Wednesday night.
"The snow is continuing to fall. Wind is blowing, making for a very messy drive out on the highways. Crews are out there plowing and salting and this is a weather system that's coming across the GTA will likely continue through the overnight hours and contribute to a slower commute in the morning," he said on X.
Peel paramedic officials told CBC News they responded to a number of crashes, especially on highways 403 and 407 — with multiple collisions on the 407 between Airport Road and Mississauga Road.
Toronto's salt trucks hit streets for 1st time this season
The weather also meant Toronto's salting trucks hit the streets for the first time this season.
Vincent Sferrazza, the city's director of transportation operations and maintenance, said the city deployed hundreds of salting trucks and all were in the city's north end.
"We did receive an enough accumulation that we had to deploy our salting units for expressways, the major arterial roads, the collector roads, and even some of the local roads," he said.
The city says it would normally begin deploying snow clearing equipment much earlier in the year.
"In a normal, typical winter season in Toronto, we would begin activating in November," Sferrazza said. "Nonetheless, we are prepared for whatever winter should bring us."
City officials urged drivers to leave extra time to get to their destinations and slow down.
"Everyone is asked to keep a safe distance from snow clearing equipment and crews to let them complete their work safely and efficiently," the city said in a winter operations update.
"Making these adjustments to how you drive will help keep everyone safe."
Some areas still digging out from weekend storm
Parts of Ontario still digging out from a major weekend storm are also expected to get another dump of snow.
The agency said Wednesday that Huntsville and Baysville could see between seven and 14 centimetres of snow accumulation while Bracebridge, Gravenhurst could get between five and 10 centimetres overnight.
"Crews are still working on restoring power from last weekend's power outage and weather event," Schmidt said.
Officers from the Huntsville OPP detachment warned in a news release in the early afternoon that weather and road conditions were continuing to deteriorate.
"The OPP is urging the public to avoid non-essential travel during this time," the statement reads. "Additional vehicles on the roads put occupants at risk and add additional challenges for snow removal."
Warming centres open in Toronto
Four warming centres in Toronto, which opened on Sunday, remain open. The city opens its warming centres when temperatures drop to – 5 C or lower, or when Environment Canada issues a winter weather event warning.
"Warming centres provide a place to rest, access meals, washroom facilities and referrals to emergency shelters with additional supports," the city said in its update.
The warming centres are located at:
- 136 Spadina Rd.
- 75 Elizabeth St.
- 12 Holmes Ave.
- 885 Scarborough Golf Club Rd.
With files from Greg Ross, Muriel Draaisma, Adam Carter and The Canadian Press