TORONTO -- Cleanup efforts are ongoing throughout the day across the GTA as snow continues to fall following a messy morning commute.
Strong winds gusting up to 60 km/h are expected this afternoon, which is expected to create bitter wind chills with snow squalls north of Toronto.
A high of -4 C is expected for Toronto on Thursday, along with between 15 and 25 cm of snow.
In the morning, the temperature dipped down to what felt like -15 C with the wind chill.
In preparation for the morning rush, police and city officials warned of slippery road conditions.
“Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions,” Environment Canada also warned in an advisory issued on Thursday. “There may be a significant impact on rush hour traffic in urban areas.”
During the morning rush, OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said there had been about a dozen collisions on GTA highways.
He noted that officers have responded to about 250 collisions over the past 24 hours.
“The roads are plowed but they are still wet,” he said.
In York Region, the situation was similar:
Likely take days to clean up the mess
City of Toronto spokesperson Eric Holmes said it will likely take days for crews to clean up the roadways.
“Our equipment it is out, it has been out all night. It continues to work throughout the day,” he said Thursday.
He urged drivers to give plows and salt trucks the space they need to clear the streets.
“They will continue to work for the next few days to get the roads in a good state,” Holmes said.
Multiple GTA school boards have cancelled buses for the day due to road conditions and Metrolinx spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins confirmed that GO Transit buses are averaging about 20 to 30-minute delays.
