Slippery, slow driving conditions as snowfall hit GTA Wednesday
Posted November 19, 2014 10:27 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Drivers headed home Wednesday evening needed more patience than usual as the city was hit with the first real snowfall of the pre-winter season.
The GTA and other parts of southern Ontario were under an Environment Canada special weather statement with warnings of blowing snow in some areas for most of the afternoon and evening.
CityNews meterologist Adam Stiles said between five and seven centimetres were expected to fall by midnight.
Flurries began around noon but intensified shortly before 5 p.m., causing heavy traffic on the major arteries.
Heavier snow started falling between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Peel police said the weather was making for slippery road conditions.
The winter weather also caused the closure of some evening events and classes.
The Miriam and Larry Robbins Education Institute in Mississauga cancelled all evening classes.
Bitter cold temperatures continued on Wednesday across the GTA, including Toronto. The forecast called for a low of -6 C, with a wind chill near -15.
Poor weather conditions to the north and east of the city also caused several school closures and bus cancellations on Wednesday, including in Durham Region.
Environment Canada has issued a snow squall warning for Simcoe, Caledonia, Niagara Falls, Welland, and southern Niagara region.
“The intense snow squall affecting western New York near Buffalo is lifting northwards and is expected to affect the above regions this morning,” the weather agency said in a statement.
There is a potential for around 10 to 15 centimetres of snow with higher accumulation near the lake. Drivers are also being warned to expect reduced visibility due to the blowing snow.
Meanwhile, bad weather north of the city was blamed for the death of a driver, whose car collided with a truck on the Highway 400, near Highway 88, on Tuesday night.
Winter officially arrives at 6:03 p.m. on Dec. 21.
