TORONTO

Snowfall ends in Toronto but frigid temperatures remain

Codi Wilson and Joshua Freeman CTV News Toronto
Published Sunday, January 20, 2019 6:40AM EST Last Updated Sunday, January 20, 2019 8:37PM EST

People wait to cross a street in Chinatown during a cold and windy day in Toronto on Thursday, January 10, 2019. The city declared an extreme cold alert. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

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The snowfall may have tapered off in Toronto, but the messy roads and frigid temperatures are sticking around.

A little over six centimetres of snow fell in Toronto on Saturday, leaving roads slick and tricky to navigate.

At around 1:30 p.m., Ontario Provincial Police said they had responded to more than 350 collisions on GTA roads over the past 24 hours.

OPP advised people to stay home if they don’t need to go out and to slow down and drive according to conditions if they are on the road.

“There’s still a lot of snow and slush on the shoulders, on the ramps, and even in between the lanes in some sections of the GTA. People need to be aware of that,” OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said. “It is still wet out there and obviously the temperatures are still very cold and there is always the potential for re-freezing as well. We just want people to drive appropriately.”

Earlier in the day, Const. Allyson Douglas-Cook‏ told CP24 that more than 100 collisions were reported overnight in the city.

"It was quite a bit. Thankfully none of them were very serious. There were no serious injuries reported," she said. "Just slow down, take your time, and adjust your driving accordingly."

Bitterly cold temperatures are also making it difficult for pedestrians to get around.

Environment Canada is forecasting a high of -16 C today but it will feel closer to -30 with the wind chill. Later tonight, the temperature is expected to drop to -22 C, feeling like -35. Early Monday morning, it will feel like close to -40 when factoring in the wind chill.

In these conditions, frostbite can occur “within minutes,” the agency said.

“Risks are greater for young children, older adults, people with chronic illnesses, people working or exercising outdoors, and those without proper shelter,” Environment Canada said.

The deep freeze has prompted both the city and Environment Canada to issue extreme cold weather alerts.

“Wind chill values will moderate above the warning criteria of minus 30 later on Monday as winds ease, but cold temperatures near minus 20 or colder are still expected Monday night,” the national weather agency said. “A milder air mass will begin to move in Tuesday.”

Tuesday will see a high of -5 C and the temperature will rise above zero to 3 C on Wednesday.

The extreme cold alert means that a warming centre is open at Metro Hall downtown.

There are also a number of facilities around the city where people can go to get out of the cold:

24-Hour Respite Sites - Locations and capacity