The City of Toronto is under an extreme cold alert as a late-winter storm rolls in off the Great Lakes, bringing snow, rain and freezing rain.
City officials are warning vulnerable homeless people to seek shelter as the low pressure system heading northeast from Indiana passes through the GTA.
Police are warning drivers that the combination of snow, warm temperatures and wind will slow down traffic and impair visibility.
In a message on Twitter, the Ontario Provincial Police advised drivers to turn on their lights, give themselves extra time and avoid distractions like cellphones.
Most of southern Ontario is under a special weather statement from Environment Canada, which forecasts blowing snow north of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Up to 10 centimetres of snow is expected.
The weather agency advises that most of the snow will fall during the day, as temperatures continue to drop.
“This could create rather hazardous commuting conditions from the Greater Toronto area southwestwards as roads may become slippery with some of the initial accumulating snow turning to ice,” the special weather statement warns.
A snow plow has flipped on Stouffville Road just east of Highway 404, York Regional Police have confirmed. The eastbound lane of Stouffville Road is closed from Highway 404 to Woodbine Avenue, where police say conditions are slick and wet. The driver has minor injuries.
Some areas, particularly along the coast of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, are under a weather warning. The affected areas can expect 15 to 25 centimetres of snow by Wednesday night, paired with brisk winds, which could result in blizzard-like conditions and low visibility.
The high risk areas are:
- Brockville-Leeds and Grenville
- Hamilton
- Cornwall-Morrisburg
- Dunnville-Caledonia-Haldimand
- Elgin
- Kingston-Prince Edward
- Niagara
- Sarnia-Lambton
- Simcoe-Delhi-Norfolk
- Stirling-Tweed-South Frontenac
- Windsor-Essex-Chatham-Kent
Dozens of flights cancelled
So far, 112 arriving flights and 118 departing flights have been cancelled at Pearson International Airport.
Airport representatives are warning passengers to check the status of their flights in advance, and expect delays.
