Winter weather travel advisory ends in Toronto, parts of GTA on 1st day of spring
Posted March 20, 2024 10:47 am.
Last Updated March 20, 2024 7:08 pm.
It may be the first full day of spring but wintry weather doesn’t seem to be letting go.
A winter weather travel advisory was in effect for the GTA, including Toronto, on Wednesday, that called for “brief, heavy snowfall” in the afternoon as a sharp cold front moves through the area.
It was lifted at around 3 p.m. in Toronto and parts of the GTA, though alerts remained for areas like Vaughan, Richmond Hill and Markham.
“A narrow band of heavy flurries combined with gusty northwest winds associated with the front will lead to a relatively short but sudden drop in visibility,” the National Weather Agency said in its advisory.
Environment Canada warned that drivers could encounter “significant impacts” during the afternoon commute.
“Visibility will be suddenly reduced to near zero at times in heavy snow and blowing snow,” it stated.
As the cold front moves in, CityNews 680 meteorologist Jill Taylor says winds will kick up to 50 km/h with higher gusts in some areas. Although the daytime high is 1 C, it will feel more like -6 with the wind chill.
Bitterly cold temperatures are expected overnight with the low falling to -7 C but feeling close to -16.
The wind chill will be hanging on for Thursday, and then we will get ready for potentially more snow on Friday. Taylor says the GTA could get around 5-10 centimetres, with snowfall starting around noon.
Blowing flurries kicked off Wednesday morning for several areas of the GTA, catching some drivers off-guard.
The wintry weather may have played a role in a pileup on a Highway 401 on-ramp in Etobicoke involving at least 17 vehicles.
Ahead of spring’s arrival Tuesday night, GTA residents were unpleasantly greeted with flurries and windy conditions that stuck around for much of the day.
The latest burst of winter comes as much of southern Ontario was treated to warmer-than-usual temperatures and even patio weather last week, with daytime highs surpassing 20 C in Toronto.
With files from Lucas Casaletto
