Toronto preparing for up to 10 cm of snow, strong winds. Here’s when to expect it

Environment Canada has issued a mix of special weather statements and warnings for most of southern Ontario in advance of a storm set to drop up to 10 centimetres of snow in Toronto.

Canada’s national weather service says freezing rain is possible late Thursday morning before transitioning to snow in the afternoon. The snow will then taper to flurries or drizzle by Thursday evening.

“Motorists should expect hazardous winter driving conditions and adjust travel plans accordingly,” the agency said in its weather advisory. “There may be a significant impact on rush hour traffic in urban areas.”

An additional few centimetres could accumulate on Friday.

Environment Canada says southeasterly wind gusts of up to 70 km/h are possible, with the strongest winds experienced near the shores of Lake Ontario.

“Loose objects may be tossed by the wind, and power outages may occur,” the agency said.

Freezing rain warnings are also in effect for Mississauga, Brampton, and Hamilton. Freezing rain with ice accumulation of a few millimetres is possible through early Thursday afternoon in Hamilton and Peel.

York and Durham’s regions are under a snowfall warning, with accumulations of up to 20 centimetres possible Thursday afternoon into the night.

“It is all hands on deck,” says Vincent Sferrazza, the City’s director of operations and maintenance, who adds that the combination of expanded staffing and equipment will allow the city to respond much more effectively when a storm hits.

“We have approximately 1,100 pieces of equipment. The salters and what we call our combination units – where you have a piece of equipment that has both a salting spinner and also a plow blade. What that allows us to do is have the contractor at literally a moment’s notice drop the blade where necessary and begin plowing.”

Another addition to the city’s snow plowing arsenal is mechanical sidewalk clearing, which Sferrazza says will allow them to take care of areas previously inaccessible.

“We did a pilot the last few years where we used new technology equipment …and we now are able to mechanically clear the snow in the downtown area that normally did not receive it. Where 95 per cent of all the sidewalks in the city will get mechanical sidewalk clearing, the other five per cent will get manual clearing.”

TTC preparing for inclement weather

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) says it’s ready to provide service for riders ahead of the potentially strong storm.

A spokesperson says extra staff and transit vehicles are being prepared to deliver uninterrupted service.

“Line 3 Scarborough SRT will open for morning service but could be closed depending on storm conditions, with 20-25 buses replacing service until weather permits it to re-open,” the TTC said.

Anti-icing and snow-clearing protocols are also in place in all bus, streetcar and subway divisions. The TTC also says that private contractor tow trucks are ready to assist with vehicles that may become trapped.

The spokesperson says transit riders are advised to follow @TTCNotices on Twitter or check ttc.ca for updates. In the event of bad weather, leave extra travel time.

Special weather statement spans northern Ontario ahead of winter wallop

Steven Flisfeder said the low atmosphere pressure system — known as the Colorado low — typically forms east of the American Rockies before making its way northeast, towards the Great Lakes.

“The impacts associated with it are going to be widespread,” he said in a phone interview with The Canadian Press.

“It’s gonna be touching anywhere from far southeastern Saskatchewan all the way to the Maritimes. As the system progresses eastward, southern Quebec will be affected before it finally makes its way toward New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.”

Environment Canada has also issued a special weather statement for parts of northwestern Ontario that could see “significant snowfall” later this week.

The statement is in effect for Thunder Bay, Cloud Bay, Dorion, Kakabeka Falls, Whitefish Lake and Arrow Lake.

The weather agency says snow will start falling Wednesday afternoon in areas south of Thunder Bay, with the city and communities north of it set to see flurries on Thursday and Friday.

It says the amount of snow expected to accumulate is highly uncertain at this point, with predictions varying between 20 and 30 centimetres, while areas south of Thunder Bay could see up to 45 centimetres by Friday morning.

With files from The Canadian Press