Wind gusts up to 80 km/h possible for Toronto

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for parts of the GTA, including Toronto, calling for strong and gusty winds on Thursday.

The statement covers York, Durham, Halton and Peel, and extends to Hamilton, Sarnia and surrounding areas.

“This cold front will race east across the remainder of Southwestern Ontario this morning, with strong southwesterly winds gusting to 80 km/h expected in many places,” the weather agency said in a statement.

Winds gusts of 85 km/h were reported at Windsor Airport around 9 a.m.

Areas near the eastern Lake Erie could see wind gusts of 90-100 km/h, where a wind warning is in effect.

Environment Canada says strong winds are expected for much of the day and they will diminish slightly tonight.

Last Friday, a massive windstorm in southern Ontario left 112,000 people without power for several days, with Hydro One crews still working to restore power on Monday morning.

In a statement, Hydro One said crews were preparing for Thursday’s “severe” winds and any outages that may occur.

Hydro One “is following normal procedures in advance of any potential major outages caused by this type of weather system,” the agency said in a statement.

Click here to check the Hydro One outage map.

What to do in a power outage

• stay clear of any fallen power lines
• keep at least 10 metres back of fallen power lines, even if they do not appear to be live
• report downed lines to Hydro One at 1-800-434-1235
• if your power is out, do not open the fridge or freezer
• A full freezer can keep food cold for 48 hours. If it’s half full, it’ll be cold half that time – about 24 hours.
• an unopened fridge will keep food cold for four hours
• don’t take chances: throw out thawed food that’s been at room temperature for two or more hours
• don’t leave the food outside as the sun can thaw frozen food, even if it’s cold
• if it contains ice crystals or feels as cold as your fridge, it can be re-frozen
• keep a few taps turned on to a trickle to prevent pipes from freezing
• unplug all unnecessary appliances to protect them from potential power surges as hydro crews work to restore electricity
• make sure the stove is off
• leave on only select lights to let you know that power is back up and running
• conserve your phone’s battery by turning down the screen brightness and turning off power-hungry functions such as Bluetooth, WiFi and location services
• Don’t use generators, barbecues, camping stoves or other types of outdoor heaters in the home. They all generate carbon monoxide, a colourless and odourless gas which is fatal if allowed to accumulate.
• Candles and wood-burning fires may be effective tools during a blackout, but they should never be left unattended. Douse all flames before leaving a room. A safer candle alternative is a battery-powered or wind-up LED light, which uses hardly any electricity.