Snowplows and salt trucks are out on streets in and around the city as a freezing rain warning remains in effect for Toronto and the GTA as an anticipated winter storm arrived in the region late Sunday afternoon.
The storm is expected to dump between five to 10 centimetres of snow on the city before changing to freezing rain sometime later in the evening. The freezing rain is expected to give way to rain overnight as the temperature rises to 3 C.
Environment Canada is warning residents about potential poor road conditions in the wake of the storm as the temperature plummets to -11 C and winds gust up to 70 kilometres-per-hour on Monday.
"The biggest risk of this system is the freezing rain," CP24 weather specialist Jamie Gutfreund said Sunday morning. "It is going to be quite treacherous, specifically through the overnight hours and into the morning, and with the temperatures expected to drop that is going to wreak havoc not only on the roads but probably our planes, trains and automobiles as well."
Repeat of ice storm not in the cards
The last time Toronto was hit by freezing rain it was part of a massive ice storm that walloped the city, leaving hundreds of thousands without power for days on end.
Luckily, meteorologists say this storm won’t pack the same punch with no more than one millimetre of freezing rain expected.
“This one is not going to be nearly as bad," Frank Seglenieks, weather station coordinator for the University of Waterloo, told CP24 Sunday afternoon. "There will certainly not be as many hours (of freezing rain) and it will happen mostly overnight.”
City prepared for storm
The worst of the storm isn’t expected to hit the city until late Sunday night, but crews are already out preparing the streets for its arrival.
According to Manager of Road Operations for Transportation Services Hector Moreno, city trucks have so far undertaken “multiple rounds” of salting on main arteries and expressways and are now moving on to local roads.
In the event of a significant amount of freezing rain, the city also has the ability to disperse several chemicals to main roads and arteries that will aid in the melting of ice.
“We have the ability to add other chemicals to the mix that will allow the salt to work in temperatures of up to -35 C,” Moreno told CP24.
Though city officials say they are ready for the storm, they are also cautioning Torontonians to be cautious as they make their way to school or work in the morning, as the roads could be slippery.
“We are trying our best to keep the roads in good shape and ice free but we do remind motorists and people on foot that there will still be some slippery spots, especially under the snow on some of the sidewalks,” Peter Noehammer, the city's director of transportation services, told CP24 Sunday afternoon. “Leave yourself extra time and do walk and drive according to the conditions.”
Travellers told to check flight status before leaving
Due to the weather, both Porter Airlines and Air Canada are advising passengers to check their flight status before heading to the airport.
Police caution drivers to slow down
Ontario Provincial Police are urging drivers to take it slow on streets in and around the city tonight and into Monday morning.
Falling snow and the potential for freezing rain in the GTA is creating slick roads conditions that are already starting to affect drivers.
In a tweet sent out at 8 p.m., OPP said that 40 collisions had been reported in the last hour.
North of the city, South Simcoe police are warning of whiteout conditions near Innisfil and Bradford.
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