Heavy snowfall warning in Toronto to affect morning commute

Eastern parts of the Greater Toronto Area are under a heavy snowfall warning with 10 centimetres expected to affect the end of the morning commute Wednesday, according to Environment Canada.

Residents are urged to plan ahead with extra time for travel due to poor visibility from the heavy and blowing snow, said the national weather agency in a yellow snowfall warning.

An Alberta clipper, a low pressure system, is forecast to bring heavy snow to Toronto, Durham and York region that will ease late in the afternoon, said meteorologist Yoseph Mengesha with Environment Canada.

He said the evening commute may also be impacted.

“Roads could be slippery at times and especially the rush hour traffic will be impacted,” he said, adding wind gusts could get up to 50 kilometre per hour in the afternoon.

Western parts of the GTA, such as Halton and Peel region, are not under a weather warning, but can still expect about five centimetres of snowfall.

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It’s a high of -1 C in Toronto, but with wind chill that will feel more like -16 in the morning and -7 later in the afternoon.

Snow will “get progressively heavier” Wednesday and be less fluffy than usual due to the frigid temperatures, said Environment Canada meteorologist Geoff Coulson on CBC Radio’s Metro Morning.

While some flurries are expected this weekend, he said the most concerning issue will be the cold.

“[We’re] looking at a morning wakeup temperature Saturday morning of -20 C which will be the coldest temperature so far this winter in the Toronto area,” he said. “The cold will be the big story going forward.”

Coulson warned people to be prepared and dress properly with winter boots and jackets.

Toronto commuters warned to go slow and plan ahead with heavy snowfall in the forecast Wednesday. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)

Airport, city ready for snow

Toronto schools are open on Wednesday, but bus service may face delays due to the weather, said the Toronto District School Board and Toronto Catholic District School Board on social media.

Crews are prepared to clear away snow and ice off the airfield and departing planes, said Toronto’s Pearson International Airport on social media.

“A traffic management initiative will be in place this morning for departing flights to ensure the safe and efficient flow of aircraft,” it said.

Snow removal from last week’s winter weather will be paused so city crews can focus on salting and plowing Wednesday, said the City of Toronto on social media Tuesday.

The city said plowing will begin when snow accumulation reaches the required threshold, such as five centimetres on major roads and 2.5 centimetres on expressways.

City crews salted roads Tuesday evening in anticipation of the upcoming snowfall, it said.