LIVE UPDATES: Snow storm makes for messy commute in GTA

February 15, 2024 Canuck

Toronto is currently under a winter weather travel advisory as a burst of heavy snowfall moves through the region.

The snow began falling over the noon hour and according to Environment Canada, the city could see 5 to 10 cm of snow, with peak snowfall rates of 2 to 4 cm/hour.

“An area of heavy snow will push through the region during the afternoon today. The majority of snowfall accumulations may fall within just a couple hours due to high snowfall rates,” Environment Canada said in its advisory.

LATEST UPDATES as of 2 p.m.

The TTC has temporarily taken 54 bus stops out of service
Environment Canada says up to 10 cm of snow could fall by tonight
Some areas north of the GTA are under a snowfall warning

The advisory covers all of the Greater Toronto Area and most of southern Ontario. Some areas north of the GTA are under a snowfall warning, with around 15 cm of snow expected in the Muskoka area.

The agency warned that travel today could be hazardous due to sudden changes in the weather, and that the snowfall could have a “significant impact” on the afternoon rush.

Strong northwesterly winds gusting up to 70 km/h are also expected this evening and overnight. Environment Canada said the combination of strong winds with the fresh snow could lead to reduced visibility in some areas.

“Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions,” the advisory read.

Dozens of minor collisions reported

As the snow began to fall, police received several calls for collisions, all considered minor. Officials are urging drivers to use extra caution and to leave themselves more time to get around.

In a video posted to X just before 3:30 p.m., Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said officers were dealing with 40 to 50 crashes, but no serious injuries were reported in any of the incidents.

Winter driving conditions across the GTHA. OPP responding to approximately 50 collisions across the region. #OnStorm.
Slow down, stay alert, headlights on, increase following distance, and get home safe. ^ks pic.twitter.com/tdlhRZsPuq

— OPP Highway Safety Division (@OPP_HSD) February 15, 2024

“It is slippery out there, and your stopping distances are going to be longer, so give yourself lots of following distance,” he said. “Slow down, change lanes, or stop if needed, depending on the circumstances.”

In the city, Toronto police have responded to a number of collisions as well as vehicles being stuck in the snow. No serious injuries have been reported at this time.

“The roads are expected to be slippery and snow-covered tonight into tomorrow. Drivers, please slow down and drive to the weather conditions,” Toronto police said in a post on X.

No serious problems were reported on GTA roads as of 1:45 p.m., but officials are urging drivers to use extra caution and to leave themselves more time to get around.

The snow has arrived, and operators are out in the fleet of 106 pieces of specialized snow removal equipment keeping runways clear.
Despite being halfway through February, this is the first snowfall of the month and may be the biggest snowfall we have seen this winter at the… pic.twitter.com/9EjNBxXQuu

— Toronto Pearson (@TorontoPearson) February 15, 2024

Expect cancellations, delays at Pearson airport: GTAA

As of 2:50 p.m., 4.32 per cent of the 486 scheduled departures at Toronto Pearson International Airport have been cancelled. Meanwhile, 6.08 per cent of the 477 flights scheduled to arrive have been cancelled.

“There could be a number of factors as to why flights are delayed, but some of those you are seeing are definitely because of the weather,” said Sean Davidson, a spokesperson for the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), which operates Pearson.

“What we do is we work with the airline partners, including our agencies like NAV Canada, to determine how many flights can take off and land in situations like this.”

Davidson said travellers should expect some delays and cancellations for the rest of the day. He added that anyone heading to the airport should check their flight status beforehand.

To keep operations at Pearson running, Davidson said the airport’s snow-clearing equipment had been deployed since the weather system began at noon.

“There’s a number of measures that we’ve put in place, just like getting some of that new high-tech snow clearing equipment. It helps get our taxiways, aprons, and runways clearer,” he said.

“We’re making sure that we’re staffed up and ready to go so that when events like this come, we have the crews who are ready to get out and clear the snow as quickly as possible.”

City and TTC say they’re prepared

The city said Wednesday that its crews would be out with salt brine trucks overnight to prepare the roads ahead of the snowfall. Toronto Pearson International Airport also said it has its snow-clearing equipment on standby ahead of the snowstorm.

“As soon as the snow will begin falling and accumulating we’ll be sending out our salters at our various arterial collector roads across the city,” Vince Sferrazza, director of operations and maintenance at Transportation Services, told CP24 in an interview.

In a news release, the TTC said that it is ready to get customers home during the afternoon rush, despite the storm.

“With up to 10 cm of snow forecasted to fall in Toronto this afternoon, the TTC is taking proactive measures to keep customers and employees safe while delivering as much service as possible,” the transit agency said.

The TTC said additional staff and maintenance vehicles have been deployed throughout the system and extra buses will be deployed along certain routes.

“This strategic measure is aimed at preserving service levels in areas where heavy snowfall or other adverse weather conditions result in significant slowdowns, detours, or disruptions,” the agency said.

Some 56 bus stops located in spots where buses are prone to getting stuck may be taken out of service because of the storm. The TTC said customers can check whether a stop is in service by visiting its website.

Weather Advisory Affecting Bus Stops: All of the stops (56) below will be taken out of service as of 1 p.m., February 15, 2024, until further notice due to the incoming winter (1/2)

— TTC Service Alerts (@TTCnotices) February 15, 2024

The snow is expected to taper off to lake effect flurries later this evening, especially in areas north and west of the GTA.

In terms of temperature, Toronto is expected to see a high of – 1 C today and an overnight low of – 4 C. A high of 0 C is expected on Friday with a chance of flurries, followed by a high of – 4 C on Saturday and 1 C on Sunday.

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