Snow storm clean-up continues across GTA

Residents across the GTA were cleaning up from the first major snowfall of the season on Thursday.

The storm system hit on Wednesday night and snow continued to accumulate overnight and into the morning hours.

At Pearson, about 10 centimetres fell, while in Hamilton, that number climbed to 13.6 cm – but it was nothing compared to Port Colborne, which received 22 cm of snow.

Between 10 and 15 cm fell in Mississauga and Niagara Region, while Kingston was hit with 30 cm, Barrie received 14 cm and Burlington had 15 cm of snow.

Toronto hasn’t seen an accumulation of 10 cm since March 2011, CityNews weather specialist Sangita Patel said.

The snow caused major traffic delays on the roads and dozens of flights were cancelled or delayed at Pearson. Check the status of your flight here.

Several crashes, including one involving a Brinks truck, are being blamed on the weather. There were also two serious accidents in York Region. In one, two police officers were airlifted to hospital with serious injuries.  In the other, a man suffered life-threatening injuries. It’s not yet known is weather or road conditions played a role in those incidents. Investigations are ongoing.

On Wednesday, the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) received 3,000 calls for service in south-central Ontario, spokesperson Silvana Aceto told CityNews.

By 6 a.m. Thursday, the CAA had received another 300 calls for the area stretching from Kingston to Windsor, Hamilton to Muskoka and Sault Ste Marie. The number continued to climb throughout the day.

Ontario Provincial Police had strong words for drivers after responding to over 273 incidents between 8 a.m.  Wednesday and 8 a.m. Thursday.

“The issue here isn’t the weather; we can’t change that, it’s driver’s reluctance to slow down during adverse weather conditions,” Sgt. David S. Rektor said in a statement.

“There is no magic to winter driving. When you see snow, go slow,” the OPP said.

The storm had already pounded the midsection of the U.S., dumping a record snowfall in Arkansas and lashing the Northeast with high winds, snow and sleet.

The storm, which is blamed for at least six deaths in the U.S., knocked out power to thousands of utility customers, primarily in Arkansas.

Hundreds of flights were cancelled or delayed out of U.S. airports.

Toronto can expect a high of just -2 C on Thursday and a low of – 7 C, but it will feel more like – 13 C with the windchill.

Elsewhere in Ontario, a winter storm warning is in effect from Kingston to Cornwall. The eastern edge of the province is expected to receive about 20 cm of snow.

Click here for the seven-day forecast.

With files from The Canadian Press and The Associated Press