Toronto weathers a major snowstorm with a bit of travel chaos

The Toronto Zoo and public libraries closed early, certain after-school programs were canceled and 41 bus stops on large hills were out of service as the city experienced one of the biggest snowstorms of the year. winter on wednesday

More than a quarter of flights at Pearson Airport have been cancelled, the TTC website has gone down and 40 car accidents have been reported on GTA highways, but fears the storm will wreak havoc across the city they did not materialize when the gusts subsided in the evening.

even saw a person swim in the rooftop pool at the Sheraton Center Toronto Hotel while the snow fell.

At 10:30 pm, Environment Canada reported that 16cm of snow had fallen in the city center and about 12cm of snow at Pearson Airport. Environment Canada meteorologist Daniel Liota said Wednesday was Pearson’s snowiest day this winter.

“We haven’t had a lot of competition so far this winter,” Liota said.

“It’s been pretty mediocre in the snow department.”

The snowiest day in Pearson so far this season, Liota said, was 5.2 centimeters on Dec. 11, 2022.

Until the storm hit, only 4 inches of snow had fallen since New Year’s Eve, much of it in the form of freezing rain that quickly melted. Over the past decade, January has averaged 9 inches of snowfall in January.

Liota predicts up to two more inches of snow could fall early Thursday before the snow stops around 8 a.m.

Wednesday’s snowfall capped an unusually warm January, with daily highs only dipping below freezing twice all month.

The storm also appeared to have broken the daily snowfall record for January 25, set in 2005 when 7.8 cm fell.

Forecasters had forecast up to 20cm of snow, and when the snow started to fall it was wet and heavy as temperatures hovered around 0 degrees.

In preparation for the snowfall, Metrolinx has reduced and adjusted the GO train schedule and canceled GO express rail service.

The City opened its three warming centers at Metro Hall, the Scarborough Civic Center and the Mitchell Field Community Center and the TTC warned it would have to close the Scarborough RT as snowfall increased.

The Ontario Provincial Police Division of Highway Safety tweeted that none of the accidents on GTA roads had caused serious injuries.

Ontario Provincial Police Sergeant Kerry Schmidt recommended that people stay off the roads until Thursday morning and “wait for the system to pass.”

“Let those plows and salters clear the roads before we head out again,” he said. “Please be careful and drive carefully.”

The Greater Toronto Airports Authority reported that just over 25 percent of arrivals and departures had been canceled at Pearson Airport as of Wednesday night, translating to just over 200 flights.

“Many of the cancellations are related to weather elsewhere, as this storm first affected the US and is also affecting the rest of the East Coast, including Ottawa, Montreal, Boston and the Maritime Islands,” he said. spokeswoman Rachel Bertone.

The afternoon ride coincided with the heaviest snowfall, as traffic scrambled through deep snow on major arterials and some cyclists braved the weather, at least one wearing a pair of ski goggles to help with limited visibility. .

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