The City of Toronto issued an extreme cold weather alert Friday as temperatures are expected to dip into the negative double digits overnight.
Environment Canada expects the temperature in the Greater Toronto Area to fall to -11C overnight and remain at around that level for most of Saturday and Sunday. Winds gusting up to 50 kilometres per hour were also expected in the mix, making it feel even colder.
The city said the alert – the second of the season - remains in effect until further notice.
The city also urged vulnerable people to be aware of the dangers of the cold weather conditions and suggested they seek refuge at emergency centres.
A blast of winter already wreaked havoc on the roads across southern and eastern Ontario.
In southwestern Ontario and around the Greater Toronto Area, police reported hundreds of weather-related. Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Dave Woodford said calls were coming in at a rate of about one a minute during the height of the morning rush.
Woodford said no serious injuries were reported in the more than 140 collisions his officers responded to on GTA highways between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m.
But in the Highway 7 crash near Omemee, about 25 kilometres west of Peterborough, a man was pronounced dead at the scene after his SUV collided with a pickup truck Friday morning.
A serious two-vehicle collision on Highway 10 in Orangeville meant that road was closed for several hours, provincial police said.
And Highway 401 eastbound in southwestern Ontario was closed at Drumbo by a six-vehicle collision but no serious injuries were reported.
GO Transit also dealt with numerous weather-related delays.
Forecasters say arctic air blasting into the region will generate lake effect flurries tonight, covering the already slippery roads.
Areas covered by the watch are expected to get between three and 15 centimetres of snow.
Motorists are warned to be prepared for hazardous winter driving conditions from blowing snow and accumulating snow on untreated roads.
Police urged motorists to drive according to the weather conditions.
"If you slow down, even if you get into a collision it should be a minor collision and nobody should get hurt," Toronto police Sgt. Reg Eldridge told CTV News.
