Environment Canada has canceled the winter weather travel advisory for Toronto, but more flurries are expected overnight. This advisory, the city’s third in a week, was issued early Tuesday, warning residents of another potential five centimeters of snow by the evening.
The advisory also covers nearby communities like Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Markham, Oshawa, and Pickering, which still faced warnings as of Tuesday evening. Strong winds have raised concerns about blowing snow, making visibility difficult.
On Tuesday, Toronto’s high was forecasted at -6 °C, with wind gusts reaching up to 50 km/h. There was a 30% chance of flurries early and overnight, leading to local blowing snow. By evening, temperatures were expected to drop to -15 °C, with wind chills making it feel like -21 °C.
After a weekend storm dumped 16 to 23 centimeters of snow in Toronto, city officials announced that snow removal could take weeks. This follows an earlier accumulation of 15 to 20 centimeters that fell last Wednesday. As of Tuesday, city crews had made multiple passes to clear roads, sidewalks, and public transit facilities.
However, the extensive snow removal process will require coordination. Toronto’s city manager, Paul Johnson, explained that while snowplows clear streets relatively quickly, transporting snow to storage sites is much slower. Crews are expected to start this process on Wednesday.
In the past five days, the city has received around 6,600 inquiries related to snow and has initiated nearly 7,000 service requests. Local snow removal companies are also feeling the pressure. Diko Nahabedian, owner of Mr. Plow King, noted an overwhelming demand for his services. He mentioned the challenge of finding places to put the snow now that there’s so much of it.
The city will prioritize snow removal in places like main sidewalks, pedestrian signals, transit stops, and emergency services. Currently, major snowstorm conditions remain in effect, prohibiting parking on snow routes and streetcar routes.
