Gusty winds hit parts of the Greater Toronto Area on Sunday.
Environment Canada placed Toronto and the entire GTA under both a wind warning and a blowing snow advisory at the beginning of the day, predicting “damaging winds” that could gust up to 100 km/h. The alerts remain in effect as of the evening hours.
The weather agency said that the strong southwesterly winds would persist into the early hours of Monday morning.
In anticipation of the winds, Pearson International Airport was warning travellers to check their flight status before leaving for the airport.
Meanwhile, the TTC said that it had extra staff on duty and emergency equipment on standby in the event of service disruptions.
“Damage to buildings, such as to roof shingles and windows, may occur. Loose objects may be tossed by the wind and cause injury or damage,” the wind warning states. “Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions due to high winds.”
Power outages possible
Hydro One has said that the strong winds could result in hundreds of outages across the province with communities around the Great Lakes likely to be the hardest hit.
In advance of possible outages, Hydro One is placing damage assessors as well as power line and forestry crews on standby in some areas.
Toronto Hydro said that it has also taken similar precautions and is prepared to have its crews working 24/7 until all potential outages are resolved.
“We are monitoring this event extremely closely and we have our extra resources on hands so we will be able to hit the ground running as soon as it is safe to do so,” Toronto Hydro spokesperson Christina Basil told CP24 on Sunday afternoon. “Obviously with gusts of 100 km/h it is not safe to send our crews up in buckets so we will be waiting until the winds down and it is safe to respond.”
Basil said that any residents who encounter power outages should check Toronto Hydro’s online outage map to see if the utility is aware of it before calling in.
She said that residents can also follow Toronto Hydro on Twitter for outage updates in real time.
“We will be working around the clock until everything is up and running,” she said.
Condo residents urged to remove furniture from balconies
This afternoon’s winds were expected to be strong enough to cause minor damage to homes with a particular threat posed by debris that is left outside, such as deck or patio furniture.
Speaking with CP24 on Sunday morning, Ontario Safety League President Brian Patterson urged residents to bring anything that could blow away inside.
“Make sure you have removed anything around your property that can blow away and in particular if you are sitting in a condo right now and you are looking out the window take anything off your balcony that can blow away, including wind chimes,” he said. “Wind chimes coming down from 24 storeys, you don’t want that to hit somebody. You want people to be safe.”
Forestry crews on standby
The winds aren’t expected to fully dissipate until sometime Monday morning but once conditions are deemed safe, up to 20 City of Toronto forestry crews are expected to be deployed.
Manager of Forestry Operations Kevin DeCooman said that about 57 workers are currently on standby and can be placed wherever the most significant damage is reported.
“We have offered our assistant to Toronto Hydro and will be working very closely with the Office of Emergency Management,” he said. “We will prioritize our work to ensure that power is restored, that is our number one priority. Clearing roads is a priority as well so we can allow emergency vehicles to pass through.”
In addition to the heavy winds, the GTA was expected to get two to four centimetres of snow tonight, creating the potential for poor visibility on the roads.
In the blowing snow advisory issued early Sunday morning, Environment Canada warned that “any fresh snow will be whipped up by the winds creating near whiteout conditions.”
“Travel is expected to be hazardous due to reduced visibility. Visibility may be significantly and suddenly reduced to near zero,” the advisory warns.
