The GTA is seeing a blustery start to the week as strong winds continue to pummel the region, affecting road conditions and knocking out power in some areas.
A blowing snow advisory and some snow squall warnings from Environment Canada remain in effect for parts of the region.
While a wind warning for Toronto ended at around 8:20 a.m. the blustery weather is still causing some trouble for drivers.
The conditions Monday morning prompted a number of school bus cancellations around the GTA.
Ontario Provincial Police are also warning motorists to use extra caution on the roads because of the windy and blowing snow.
“The roads are still slick, the winds are blowing and the snow is coming across with that and it can make for slippery conditions, especially on those on-ramps and off-ramps,” Sgt. Kerry Schmidt told CP24 Monday morning.
He said the weather has sent a number of vehicles into ditches this morning and noted that weather conditions can vary quite a bit from area to area. He said conditions in some parts of the region today are “treacherous.”
“Be very careful. You may be travelling in different areas and experiencing much different environmental conditions,” Schmidt said. “Your walk from the car to the office is not going to be pleasant, so make sure you’re bundled up.”
In Dufferin, Simcoe, and Wellington counties, OPP have closed all roads due to poor visibility. Police in York Region also reported whiteout conditions in some areas as a result of blowing snow off Lake Simcoe.
Thousands without power across the province
The windy conditions have knocked out power to thousands of people across the province, as breaking branches bring down power lines and interfere with equipment.
At around 10 a.m., Hydro One reported that some 36,000 customers across the province were without power.
Toronto Hydro reported that there were no major outages in the city early Monday, while a number of other utilities around the GTA reported scattered outages.
The winds are expected to taper off later in the morning, but it will still feel chilly.
A high of -5 C is expected in Toronto, but it will feel more like -18 with the wind chill.
The low wind chill values prompted the city’s chief medical officer of health to issue an extreme cold weather alert for Toronto Monday morning. The alert triggers expanded shelter space and services for the homeless.
A low of -12 C is expected overnight, but the wind chill will make it feel more like -20.
