A major winter storm is currently lashing Toronto and the GTHA, creating serious travel issues on both land and air on Sunday.
Environment Canada has issued an orange winter storm warning, calling for snowfall amounts of between 20 and 40 cm with snowfall rates of 5 to 7 cm per hour at the peak of the storm.
“Snowfall totals of up to 40 cm are possible, with some spots picking up even more where lake-enhanced snow sets up,” says 680 NewsRadio meteorologist Rob Haswell.
Areas closer to the lakeshore, including downtown Toronto, are expected to see the highest accumulations as winds off the lake will create a “snow snake” that is expected to enhance snowfall totals.
“Winds will be gusting up to 50 km/h, and that will blow snow around, leading to sudden whiteout conditions and near-zero visibility at times,” said Haswell.
Residents are asked to avoid travel if possible on Sunday.
City of Toronto officials say the bitterly cold temperatures, coupled with fast-accumulating snow means salting will have very little effect on the roads.
“It won’t activate at those very, very cold temperatures. It means we have to plow more, but we’ll still be laying it down,” City Manager Paul Johnson said on Friday. “It will mean more passes by the plows in order to keep that snow at an acceptable level.”
The snowfall is expected to peak in the afternoon and evening, before continuing into Monday morning.
Similar orange warnings are in effect for Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Markham, Burlington, Oakville, Pickering, Oshawa, Hamilton and Niagara Falls.
Flight cancellations and closures
Toronto Pearson International Airport said it was closely monitoring the impact of the winter storm on its operations. As of Sunday morning, more than 500 flights had been cancelled – 59 per cent of departing flights and 62 per cent of arrivals. Passengers are asked to check the status of their flights before heading to the airport.
Toronto’s Billy Bishop airport says 30 flights have been cancelled on Sunday.
More than 15,000 flights have been cancelled across the U.S. since Saturday, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware, with more than 10,700 of those scheduled for Sunday. Aviation analytics company Cirium says its data shows that Sunday will be the highest cancellation event since the pandemic, with over 29 per cent of all U.S. departing flights axed.
The City of Toronto says all library branches will be closed, and it has cancelled all recreational programs at school locations today due to the weather.
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.
Messy Monday commute
The City 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.
