Heavy snowfall has brought Canada's largest city, Toronto, to a standstill, forcing widespread school closures and causing severe commuter delays across much of southern Ontario.
The rare event saw streets blocked and numerous vehicles stranded in ditches as the winter storm continued to hammer the region.
Environment Canada predicted up to 30 centimetres (12 inches) of snow for areas including the Greater Toronto Area, Kitchener, and Hamilton by Thursday afternoon. Toronto, York, Peel, and Halton Region schools, alongside institutions such as the University of Toronto, Toronto Metropolitan University, and York University, announced closures – a highly unusual occurrence for the city.
The Ottawa area was also set to receive up to 25 centimetres (10 inches) of snow, tapering off by Thursday evening.
Northerly wind gusts of up to 60 kilometres (37 miles) per hour were expected to cause blowing snow and significantly reduced visibility, coupled with a sharp temperature drop leading to dangerously cold wind chills. Provincial police urged residents to avoid non-essential travel, responding to dozens of collisions and vehicles in ditches.
Multiple road closures were reported across southern Ontario, including ramps on Highway 403 near Burlington and Hamilton, and parts of Highway 401 in eastern Ontario.
The severe weather prompted both Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow to cancel public events.
Toronto’s Pearson Airport also faced significant disruption, with air traffic management procedures impacting some arriving and departing flights.
Travellers were advised to check their flight status before heading to the airport, where extensive snow clearing operations were underway.
The weather agency initially classified it as a yellow alert, but upgraded it to an orange weather alert just before 8 a.m.
“A low pressure system will continue to bring significant snowfall to much of southern Ontario. Very cold wind chills by this morning will add to the adverse weather conditions,” the weather agency said.
