What to know
- Environment Canada has issued a yellow winter storm warning for Toronto, with up to 5 cm of snow and ice pellets expected.
- The City of Toronto is salting major roads, expressways, sidewalks, bike lanes, and local streets, with plowing to follow once accumulation thresholds are met.
- Warming centres are reopening Wednesday afternoon, and residents are urged to exercise caution on slippery roads and walkways.
- The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and TTC are advising safety measures, including avoiding unsafe ice and deploying extra crews for transit maintenance.
As a winter storm rolls through Toronto and much of the GTHA, the City of Toronto is outlining its preparedness plan, including salting major roads and reopening warming centres.
Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued a yellow winter storm warning for the city, with up to five centimetres of snow and ice pellets possible.
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Roads and walkways are expected to become slippery due to a mix of snow, ice pellets and freezing rain.
In a statement to Now Toronto, the City said crews will apply salt brine to hills, bridges, intersections, expressways and major roads. As snowfall begins Wednesday morning, crews will prioritize salting expressways and arterial roads, followed by sidewalks, bike lanes and local roads.
Plowing operations will begin once snow accumulation reaches the City’s established thresholds.
Although temperatures are expected to hover near the freezing mark, the City says it will reopen the following warming centres out of an abundance of caution starting at 3 p.m. Wednesday:
- 81 Elizabeth St. (behind City Hall, west of Bay Street and south of Dundas Street West)
- 349 George St. (east of Jarvis Street and south of Gerrard Street East)
- 12 Holmes Ave. (off Yonge Street, south of Finch Avenue East)
- 885 Scarborough Golf Club Rd. (east of Markham Road and south of Ellesmere Road)
Meanwhile, the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority is urging residents to keep a safe distance from lakes, rivers and ponds.
The conservation authority warns that ice thickness is difficult to judge and advises the public not to walk, skate or drive on ice-covered rivers, lakes or ponds unless they have been officially designated as safe.
Transit agencies are also taking caution, the TTC says it is implementing its dynamic winter weather plan that includes preventative anti-icing measures as well as snow clearing and removal.
The agency says extra TTC employees and maintenance vehicles are being deployed to clear snow and spread salt on platforms, stairs, and other surfaces. Keep signals, switches, and overhead power operating safely and respond immediately to any weather-related challenges.
According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, precipitation is expected to ease by Wednesday evening, although freezing drizzle could persist overnight.
