GTA cleans up after biggest snowfall of season so far

Toronto’s entire snow-clearing arsenal has been working all night to clear the roadways after the city, and parts of the Greater Toronto Area, were hit with the season’s biggest snowfall so far of the pre-winter season.

As of Friday morning, officials said expressway, arterial and collector plowing had been completed. Local roads should be cleared by Friday morning and will be salted again.

The TTC warns riders to expect delays on its surface routes due to icy roads, and that Wheel-Trans will only be making essential trips.

As of 8:45 a.m. on Friday, 32 arriving flights were cancelled at Pearson International Airport. The airport has posted an advisory on its website suggesting travellers check their flight status online.

According to Environment Canada, snowfall totals in the GTA ranged to an upwards of 25 centimetres of snow, while other areas of southern Ontario received up to 30 centimetres in accumulation.

The snowfall started early on Thursday morning and continued throughout the day, hampering the morning and evening commute. Even some TTC buses had trouble maneuvering the snow-covered streets.

City officials dispatched salt trucks on local roads and highways around 1 a.m. on Thursday and plows moved out around 4 a.m.

On Thursday, Toronto police reported an average of three crashes per minute on Thursday, with Ontario provincial police dealing with around 500 crashes. The CAA said it dealt with over 5,400 calls.

CityNews meteorologist Natasha Ramsahai said the storm decided to stick around the GTA, which is why the region ended up with so much snow.

“That snowband literally parked over us and did not move all day long, so that led to a longer snowfall duration. We didn’t get the break in the middle of the day that we were expecting because of the lack of movement,” Ramsahai said on Thursday.

By the time the snow system was done, the accumulation in Toronto ranged from 16 centimetres in Scarborough to 24 centimetres in the Riverdale area. The York University, Etobicoke, Downsview and East York areas saw between 20 to 22 centimetres of snow. Environment Canada’s weather station at Pearson airport reported 17 centimetres.

Elsewhere in the GTA, Newmarket received around 24 centimetres of snow, Richmond Hill got 22 centimetres, while Brampton and Vaughan faced 23 and 22 centimetres, respectively.

But there is some good news on the horizon — a warmup just in time for the weekend.

680News meteorologist Harold Hosein said it will be cloudy with sunny periods on Saturday and a high of 3 C. On Sunday, the forecast calls for a mix of sun and cloud and a high of 3 C.

The warmer temperatures are expected to stick around for Monday and Tuesday as well.

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