Rain turns into snow in Toronto, police asking drivers to use caution

Overnight rain transitioned to snow and flurries in Toronto and contributed to a challenging commute for some Friday morning.

Police said call volumes were standard following the wintry weather, but advised drivers to use caution and leave extra space for other motorists.

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Meanwhile, speaking to CP24, OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said emergency crews have been “very busy” and that there are “too many calls to count” on highways in and around the city.

“Crashes, fender benders, people sliding into ditches and into walls and into everybody else on the roads here. We are trying our best to keep up,” Schmidt said.

“You need to slow down, drive safe, and give yourself the time to clean off your vehicle."

Images shared to the OPP’s Highway Safety Division Twitter page showed a number of collisions overnight due to the weather which are still being cleared. 

A number of highway collisions the OPP says were caused by a winter storm in Ontario are seen in these images. (Twitter/OPP Highway Safety Division)

Temperatures in Toronto are hovering below freezing at -3 degrees Celsius and are expected to drop to -11 C overnight, but it will feel like -20 C with the wind chill.

As such, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health has issued an extreme cold weather alert for the city.

An #ExtremeColdWeatherAlert has been issued for Toronto today. More info here: https://t.co/LwPSwvUVQP pic.twitter.com/zAtYz08q4o

— Toronto Public Health (@TOPublicHealth) January 13, 2023

The alerts are issued anytime temperatures in the forecast are expected to reach -15 C or colder, or when the wind chill is forecast to reach -20 C or colder.

Three warming centres are set to open in Toronto at 7 p.m. as the temperatures drop. Those centres are located at:

• Scarborough Civic Centre, 150 Borough Dr.
• Metro Hall, 55 John St.
• Mitchell Field Community Centre, 89 Church Ave.

A winter weather travel advisory issued by Environment Canada for the city Thursday night has since ended, but remains in place for York and Durham regions, as well as Niagara Region and Hamilton, where two to four centimetres of snow are expected to fall.

The agency’s weather advisory continues to cover much of the areas east of Toronto, while Ottawa and surrounding areas are under a snowfall warning with up to 25 cm of snow expected.

Locally, the city is expecting to see up to seven cm of snow by Friday evening, according to a bulletin published Thursday.

• 'More prepared than ever': Toronto outlines $109M winter weather plan

The City of Toronto said that salting operations are set to be activated when the snow starts to accumulate.

Passengers step off a streetcar during a snowy day in Toronto on Tuesday, Nov.15, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy