A messy winter storm hitting southern Ontario, including the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), has brought a mix of ice pellets and heavy snow to some areas and freezing rain elsewhere in the region on Wednesday.
Toronto and the GTA are still under a yellow freezing drizzle advisory, but the winter storm warning has ended.
Sidewalks and roads are expected to stay slippery overnight as temperatures drop to -2C. In addition, patchy freezing drizzle is expected tonight in the wake of the storm, which could lead to a fresh glaze of ice on top of snowy surfaces. On and off drizzle and freezing drizzle are expected to continue through Thursday night.
As of 2 p.m., Toronto Pearson has reported five centimetres of snow and ice pellet accumulation. Up to 10 centimetres total is forecast by the time the storm winds down this evening. Higher snowfall totals could be in store for northern York and Durham regions, where 10-15 centimetres of snow is possible.
The west end of the GTHA could see a prolonged freezing rain threat.
Easterly winds will be gusting up to 60 kilometres per hour, so power outages are possible for those with heavy ice buildup, and visibility will be poor for the areas getting snow.
The mixed bag of weather led to dicey conditions on the roads. In a 3 p.m. update from the OPP, police said there had been 160 crashes since about 5 a.m. across the GTHA.
The storm had triggered widespread school bus cancellations across Toronto and the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) on Wednesday morning, with multiple boards suspending transportation as freezing rain, snow, and icy conditions were expected during the morning commute.
