A light snowfall combined with blowing snow delayed and cancelled a number of flights departing from Pearson International Airport Wednesday night.
Travellers were being advised to check the status of their flight before leaving their homes, after Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for Toronto earlier on Wednesday.
Flying tonight? Please check flight status with airlines or http://t.co/siQEK1wqag. Winter weather is causing some delays & cancellations.
— Toronto Pearson (@TorontoPearson) November 20, 2014
The weather alert was issued, as many commuters were making their way home during the evening rush hour.
"The snow has enveloped many regions of southern Ontario, from the southwest through the Niagara and Greater Toronto areas," the national weather agency said in a statement. "It is making for a difficult commute in many areas, especially in the Toronto region."
Some motorists took to Twitter to vent their frustrations, as traffic came to a halt in some areas of the city Wednesday evening.
Heavy snow in Toronto means being stuck in terrible traffic jam on the… (at Hwy 427 at The Queensway) [pic] — https://t.co/FhgvFs5Cif
— Julian Halim (@JulianH89) November 19, 2014
Not even an inch of snow and Toronto traffic grinds to a halt. At this rate it's going to take 2 hours to get home.
— Ryan Booth (@iamryanbooth) November 19, 2014
Good luck to people on the highways ..sigh, #winter #snow #toronto #traffic #canada #bbqweather http://t.co/sC3psMF5mi
— HiKern (@kerngaming) November 19, 2014
Environment Canada said approximately five centimetres of snow blanketed the city. The mercury dropped to a low of -5 C Wednesday night, with westerly winds gusting up to 50 kilometres/hour.
Meanwhile, across the province, Environment Canada also issued special weather statements for other regions, including:
- Hamilton
- Haliburton
- Halton – Peel
- York – Durham
Snow squall watches were also issued for
- Burk's Falls – Bayfield Inlet
- Grey – Bruce
- Parry Sound – Muskoka
Wednesday's special weather statement came as the Ontario Provincial Police said there were numerous crashes on the highways. They reminded motorists to take extra precautions on the roads.
