Ontario residents are cleaning up after a severe storm swept through the province, killing one person in Toronto, leaving tens of thousands without electricity, and disrupting classes at more than a dozen schools.
As the storm worsened Monday night, a woman in her 50's was killed by debris that fell from a sign outside a Staples store on Keele Street, near St. Clair Avenue West.
The woman is the lone fatality reported in Ontario during the so-called superstorm, which brought powerful wind gusts that neared hurricane strength, persistent rain, and flooding in low-lying areas, as the remnants of Hurricane Sandy moved inland in the form of a post-tropical fall storm.
Downed trees and power lines plunged homes, businesses and schools into darkness.
Forecasters say the worst of the storm passed early Tuesday morning, but the weather will continue to be windy and rainy for the rest of the day.
At the storm's peak, more than 800 storm-related outages were reported in Ontario, affecting more than 150,000 hydro customers, said provincial Energy Minister Chris Bentley.
In Toronto, more than 60,000 customers were without electricity at the peak of the outage. By 2 p.m., the number was reduced to 10,000.
Hydro crews are working to restore electricity, but people should be prepared for a lengthy wait because service for some customers may not be restored until Thursday, agencies warned.
"The crews are working as fast as they can on getting the remianing customers back up and over the next 24 hours most customers are expected to be reconnected," Bentley said.
In Ontario, the southern portion of the province endured the brunt of the storm, as communities were lashed by wind gusts of more than 100 kilometres-per-hour.
Bentley said the hardest hit communities include Toronto, Waterloo, Peterborough, Owen Sound and Sarnia.
School closures in Toronto
At about 7:30 a.m., the Toronto District School Board cancelled classes at more than a dozen schools affected by power outages.
Toronto Catholic District School Board closed at least two schools.
Some private schools and colleges are also closed for the day.
Click here for a full list of school closures in the GTA.
All TDSB schools, with the exception of Keele Street PS, will resume normal classes Wednesday, according to a message posted on the TDSB website Tuesday afternoon.
Damage reported across the city
The worst of the storm pounded southern Ontario in the early-morning hours before a wind warning was lifted shortly after 6 a.m.
After daylight broke, people surveyed their properties and vehicles for storm damage after strong winds uprooted trees and blew around garbage and debris.
Large trees or branches crashed onto homes or vehicles on several streets, including Neville Park Boulevard in the city's east end, where Barry Wadman's house was badly damaged by a fallen tree.
Shortly before 2 a.m., Wadman and his wife were asleep in their second-floor bedroom when the tree fell and broke through the roof, showering the couple with drywall and other debris.
"Suddenly there was big bang, crash and down comes this big red oak that you see behind me here," Wadman told CP24 reporter Cam Woolley outside the home.
Wadman and his wife grabbed their pet dog and fled the house. Their cat is missing, but Wadman believes it escaped into the yard.
Wadman said engineers are assessing the damage to get an understanding of the repairs that will be necessary. A large crane was called in to lift the tree off the house.
On Quebec Avenue, a sport utility vehicle caught fire after wires fell on top of it. Near Front and Bathurst streets, a limousine was significantly damaged when a low ceiling collapsed on top of it.
In downtown Toronto, the wind blew out a 54th-floor window at First Canadian Place, sending glass and other debris onto the ground near Adelaide and Bay streets, Toronto police said.
Flood watch
Because of the wind and the rain, people are being told to stay away from swollen bodies of water because currents are stronger than usual.
Motorists should avoid driving through flooded low-lying areas and roads, especially at underpasses, Toronto and Region Conservation said.
City of Toronto employees are patrolling neighbourhoods to clear clogged storm basins to prevent flooding. Crews are also removing downed trees or branches and other debris that is blocking roads.
City employees had to put city hall's outdoor Christmas tree back in an upright position after it was blown over in Nathan Phillips Square.
To view a photo gallery of the storm damage, click here.
Dozens of flights disrupted
The worst of the storm may be over, but it is still messing with flights in Toronto and northeastern U.S. states.
About 25 per cent of flights at Pearson International Airport are cancelled, a Greater Toronto Airports Authority spokesman said.
All Porter Airlines flights in and out of Toronto's island airport were cancelled until about 11 a.m. due to high winds.
Halloween will be cool, damp and breezy
Because the weather disturbance is sticking around a little longer, the rest of the week is looking fairly miserable.
The weather will remain cool, damp and breezy for trick-or-treaters Wednesday night.
More rain is expected Thursday and Friday, with daytime highs that will remain below 10 C, according to Environment Canada’s long-term forecast.
People may get a break from the rain on the weekend, however.
Saturday is expected to be sunny and cloudy with a high of 6 C, while Sunday will be sunny with a high of 5 C, Environment Canada said.
@ChrisKitching is on Twitter. Don't forget, for instant breaking news, follow @CP24 on Twitter.
