Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area (GTHA) are in the midst of a terrific winter storm. It’s dumping a whole lot of snow, and that’s creating unsafe travel conditions. The storm began affecting the region with heavy snow, rain and wind beginning late on Wednesday night. It is forecast to deposit between 20 to 30 centimetres of snow in various regions, with the greatest accumulation calculated for the north and east of Toronto.
Snowfall started around 9 or 10 p.m. Wednesday, with winds creating whiteout factors with blowing snow circumstances. Farther west, Canada’s weather agency warned of several more inches of snow. Snow should continue through the morning of Thursday, October 26, but begin to taper off by later Thursday afternoon.
Severe weather conditions have forced all Toronto schools to close early on Thursday. Other school boards across the Greater Toronto Area soon jumped on their bandwagon. This careful decision seeks to protect the health and safety of the students and staff during this ongoing, extreme weather.
The case could be made that it’s the most damaging storm in American history. Toronto Pearson International Airport ended up with its biggest one-day snowfall of the season on December 26, 2022, with the storm dropping 12 centimetres. Toronto’s core could receive anywhere from 5 to 15 centimetres of snow, according to forecasts. At the same time, Scarborough, York Region and Durham Region are on track for more than 20 centimetres of snow by Thursday afternoon.
Environment Canada even went so far as to call this storm “catastrophic” in a statement.
“Snowfall amounts of 20 to 30 cm. Reduced visibility at times in heavy snow and local blowing snow,” – Environment Canada
The worst of the snow fell overnight, making Thursday morning’s commute a nightmare for many motorists and residents. The projected snowstorm will surely have a huge effect on rush hour traffic, according to the National Weather Service.
“There may be a significant impact on rush hour traffic,” – Canada’s weather agency
Long-range forecast models show some areas of the GTHA getting more than 20 centimetres of snow beginning Wednesday evening. We’re threatening to make this the biggest snowfall of the season!
