Frigid winds continue to blast through GTA
Posted November 18, 2014 10:50 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Residents in the Greater Toronto Area woke up to the coldest morning of the pre-winter season so far, with a wind chill in the double-digits.
At one point in the early morning hours, the wind made it feel like -20 C.
Windy and cold conditions continued on Tuesday night under partly cloudy skies. The overnight low will be -9 C but will feel like -17 with the wind.
Lake effect snow is expected for northern parts of Durham and York regions overnight, as well as the Barrie area where a snow squall warning is in effect.
OPP say blowing snow has caused reduced visibility on roads north of the city, including Highway 400.
Outside of the GTA, Environment Canada issued a snow squall warning for Niagara Falls, Welland and southern Niagara region. It was later downgraded to a watch.
There were some school bus cancellations and school closures outside of the GTA. Click here for a complete list.
On Monday evening, CityNews meteorologist Natasha Ramsahai said a cold front was due to make its way here from Chicago and bring with it frigid temps.
South of the border, a winter-like blast hit parts of New York state, including Buffalo. Areas near the Great Lakes could receive more than 60 centimetres of snow by Wednesday afternoon. With strong wind gusts in the forecast, near whiteout conditions are expected.
Winter officially arrives at 6:03 p.m. on Dec. 21.
Nathan Phillips Square ice rink to open on Saturday
Meanwhile, city crews will begin flooding the rink at Nathan Phillips Square on Tuesday, and the ice is scheduled to be ready for skaters at 7 a.m. on Saturday.
The work to turn the summertime fountain into a winter rink began last week.
“For the last four or five days, we’ve been turning off the fountains and turning on the refrigeration system,” parks supervisor Brian Green said.
Green said all of the city’s downtown rinks will be ready to use by Nov. 29.
Below is a map of the city’s outdoor ice rinks, or click here for a mobile-friendly version.
