What are Toronto’s snow clearing guidelines and when will your area be plowed?

With much of the GTA under a winter storm warning and the potential to see up to 35 centimetres of snow by the end of Monday, the City of Toronto’s plows and salters will face a heavy workload throughout the day.

According to an updated warning issued by Environment Canada late Sunday, Toronto could see up to 35 centimetres by the end of Monday after a low-pressure system from the United States moves through the region.

RELATED: ‘Significant snowfall’ expected for Toronto, GTA starting Sunday night

The warning said at the system’s peak, snow could fall at a rate anywhere between three and five centimetres an hour at times. Adding to issues for commuters is localized blowing snow, which could bring gusts up to 60 km/h and severely impact visibility.

“Consider postponing non-essential travel until conditions improve. Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become difficult to navigate due to accumulating snow,” the warning said.

City of Toronto guidelines for clearing snow from roads, TTC routes and bike lanes

The City of Toronto, at full strength, has approximately 600 street snow plows, 300 sidewalk plows and 200 salt trucks for use as part of its $90-million annual winter maintenance program.

Typically before snowfall begins, guidelines call for trucks will apply liquid salt brine to the Gardiner Expressway, the Don Valley Parkway and Allen Road as well as certain bridges and hills in an effort to address icing. As soon as the snow begins to stick to roads, salters are dispatched to the expressways, arterial/major roads and streetcar routes, and major collector roads with bus routes and local streets with hills. All other local streets also are slated to get the same treatment.

When it comes to snow plowing, the Gardiner Expressway, the Don Valley Parkway and Allen Road are the first for it. Guidelines state as soon as 2.5 centimetres (or about the size of a quarter across) of snow is accumulated on those roads then plowing is to occur. City staff estimate it takes two to three hours after snow stops falling to fully clear the road.

As soon as five centimetres of snow accumulates on major arterial and collector roads, streetcar and bus routes, bike lanes and certain streets with hills that’s when plowing begins. It’s estimated it takes six to eight hours after snow stops falling to fully clear each of the roads.

Plows typically do not enter all of the other local neighbourhood roads until eight centimetres of snow has accumulated and then each of those roads won’t be fully cleared until around 14 to 16 hours after snowfall stops.

Guidelines for clearing snow from sidewalks, pathways, transit stops and shelters, and driveway openings

Going into the 2021-2022 winter season, City of Toronto officials said around 85 per cent of all public sidewalks were cleared by sidewalk plows. However, after a two-year pilot project and city council approval, 13 per cent of the remaining sidewalks will be cleared by plows and municipal crews were clear the remaining two per cent by hand in areas where it’s too narrow for a plow. The expansion of sidewalk clearing to the remaining 15 per cent is expected to be fully done by February.

Sidewalk plows and salters won’t begin operations until the snowfall has stopped and there are more than two centimetres of accumulation or if there is ice buildup. Sidewalks along arterial roads, school zones, transit areas and certain accessibility areas are prioritized first for clearing.

Guidelines state it can take anywhere from 13 to 72 hours after snowfall stops depending on the intensity of a weather system. Depending on the storm, there can be more than one clearing if staff determine a need.

RELATED: Toronto expands sidewalk snow clearing to all neighbourhoods

For pathways that service schools, recreation facilities and TTC routes, clearing occurs only if there are eight centimetres of snow and that happens within 24 hours of snowfall stopping.

Transit shelters and bus stops are typically cleared within 48 hours after snowfall stops.

In wider areas where there is no on-street parking with no other obstructions and there are snow windrows (created by plows) at least 25 centimetres high blocking driveway entrances, the City of Toronto’s guidelines state crews will clear three-metre-wide openings. After all local neighbourhood road plowing is finished and the criteria for clearing is met, it will occur within approximately two hours.

Following the progress of Toronto’s plows and salters

If you’re trying to get a sense of what roads and sidewalks have been plowed and/or salted, the City of Toronto has GPS trackers installed in its fleet of vehicles and the locations are posted online.

The PlowTO map refreshes every 10 seconds and shows the trucks along with when the road was last serviced (there are three options: zero to four hours ago, four to 12 hours ago and 12 to 24 hours ago).

Click here to access the map.

When is snow actually removed from streets?

Not to be confused with snow clearing, City of Toronto staff can take the rare step of enacting snow removal procedures. This can be done when the mayor or the City’s general manager of transportation services declares a “major snowstorm condition.” As of early Monday, this hasn’t happened in Toronto.

If the declaration is made, parking on certain roads designated as snow routes is typically banned for 72 hours (it can be shortened or lengthened at the discretion of officials).

Should snow removal operations go ahead, City of Toronto crews will put out temporary orange signs before it happens. The guidelines call for signage to be posted by 8 p.m. the day before daytime clearing is to occur (a window between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.) or by 3 p.m. if there are same-day overnight operations (a window between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.).

Using a combination of heavy equipment, snow would be removed and taken to one of five storage locations: Keelesdale North Park, Unwin Avenue, New Toronto Street, Transit Road and the Morningside Yard. Collected snow is also taken to melting locations (the three in Toronto are at Budapest Park, Transit Road and the Morningside Yard).

Click here for a map of streets that would be affected should a declaration occur.