'Thundersnow' hit Toronto as city pummelled by major winter storm, up to 35 cm of snow

Snow fell as thunder and lightning struck Toronto in a major winter snowstorm pummelling much of southern Ontario Friday evening.

Toronto was struck for what could be its biggest snowfall of the season with up to 35 cm of snow forecasted.

Senior climatologist for Environment Canada Dave Phillips told CP24 Friday that Torontonians can expect about five to eight centimetres of snow an hour in peak hours, along with blowing winds of up to 70 km/h. In total, Toronto should receive about 16 hours of snowfall.

• READ MORE: What is 'thundersnow'? Weather phenomenon in southern Ontario storm explained

Clearing operations are expected to be required into next week, the city said Friday evening.

CTV News Toronto will provide live updates on the Toronto and southern Ontario storm below:

11 p.m. -  CP24 meteorologist Chris Potter says between 7 p.m. when the storm arrived in Toronto, and 10 p.m., the downtown core received 11 cm of snow. At Toronto Pearson, 10 cm of snow has fallen so far.

And it's not over yet. Potter says snow will continue to fall until 6 a.m. on Saturday. He adds it will be heavy at times, especially during the first half of the overnight.

"Obviously, this will be the most significant snowfall that we've had all winter and probably in the past couple of winters," Potter said.

By mid-morning Saturday, any residual light snow or flurries will be clearing rapidly, and winds will gradually become much lighter, he says.

Later in the day, Toronto will see a lot of sunshine. The high for Saturday is 4 C.

 

10:44 p.m. – Toronto Hydro says it is experiencing scattered outages during the winter storm, including in Etobicoke, where approximately 530 customers are without power.

“Crews are responding to multiple safety emergencies, such as downed power lines,” Toronto Hydro said.

9:30 p.m. - Toronto police are warning drivers that some traffic indicators, including lights and stop signs have been coated in snow.

So when it snows like this,some traffic controls become invisible as you can see from the photo. If the route is familiar you will know a stop sign is there, if not exercise extreme caution and stop at every intersection. @CP24 @CityNewsTO @citynews680 @CBCToronto @globalnewsto pic.twitter.com/RLljug2cwK

— TPS Traffic Services (@TrafficServices) March 4, 2023

8:40 p.m. - Lightning and 'thundersnow' are being reported as the storm hits Toronto. 

CP24 meteorologist Chris Potter said thundersnow, which is simply snow accompanied by thunder and lightning, is not completely uncommon.

“Obviously, it doesn't happen frequently with each and every storm," Potter said. "There have to be certain mechanisms at play. One of them is significant lift [and] significant convection."

Toronto police are also warning that expressways are "track bare and side streets are like ice."

Wait for it……Thunder snow is here, expressways are track bare and side streets are like ice. #goslow or don’t go out wait till tomorrow. ⁦@CP24⁩ ⁦@CityNewsTO⁩ ⁦@CBCToronto⁩ ⁦@TPSOperations⁩ pic.twitter.com/mQiwg4MT6K

— TPS Traffic Services (@TrafficServices) March 4, 2023

@CP24 Incredible Lightning and thunder in downtown Toronto. #ONStorm #QueensQuay pic.twitter.com/HgMi5MElpn

— Danny Cohen (@BuseyVsNolte) March 4, 2023

8:15 p.m. - Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie took to social media to ask Toronto residents to practice “patience as crews work to clear the snow from our roads, expressways, bike lanes and sidewalks.”

With the winter storm underway, I ask residents for their patience as crews work to clear the snow from our roads, expressways, bike lanes and sidewalks.

Please drive slower and with caution - maintaining a safe distance from any snow clearing equipment. pic.twitter.com/FqIYlHJL6Q

— Jennifer McKelvie (@McKelvieTO) March 4, 2023

7:45 p.m. - Toronto police’s traffic unit is warning residents of rapidly increasing snow accumulation and that high winds could blow salt off roads. The service said it's starting to receive calls for collisions in the city and is warning drivers to stay off the roads.

Starting to get calls for collisions on the city streets, expressways appear to be clear right now. Speed and snow don’t mix, together they could hurt you or someone else. @TPSOperations @CP24 @CityNewsTO pic.twitter.com/AqALt2GeJ4

— TPS Traffic Services (@TrafficServices) March 4, 2023

6:50 p.m. - Blowing snow has started falling in Toronto.

"It’s extremely hard to see out on city streets,"  CTV News Toronto's weather specialist Jessica Smith writes on Twitter. "Please be careful walking/crossing the street."

Blowing snow has started downtown Toronto. It’s extremely hard to see out on city streets. PLEASE be careful walking/crossing the street. #ONStorm

— Jess Smith CTV (@JessicaSmithCTV) March 3, 2023

6 p.m. - The city issued a storm update stating that up to 35 cm of snow is now predicted.

Currently, the warming centre at Metro Hall is open and at 7 p.m., the city will open its three additional warming centres. They are located at:

• Scarborough Civic Centre, 150 Borough Dr.
• Mitchell Field Community Centre, 89 Church Ave.
• Cecil Community Centre, 58 Cecil St.

According to the release, salting will begin as soon as the snow starts to accumulate, and plowing will be activated when the snow reaches 2.5 cm on expressways, five centimetres on major roads, transit routes, and streets with hills, and eight centimetres on residential streets. Sidewalk and separated bike lane clearing will begin when the snow reaches two centimetres.

All city-operated community recreation centres will be closed tomorrow, and all programming will be cancelled. Outdoor rinks will be open once the snow is cleared.

Clearing operations are expected into next week, the update said.

Due to severe weather, recreation centres and indoor arenas will be closed on Saturday, March 4. Instructional and drop-in programs as well as permits are cancelled and classes will be made up at the end of the session where possible.

1/2 pic.twitter.com/JAKL9XrJhT

— City of Toronto PFR (@TorontoPFR) March 3, 2023

5 p.m. - The snow has begun falling in southern Ontario. Environment Canada tweeted a video showing deteriorating visibility over the Detroit River in Windsor, Ont.

❄️ The snow has begun in Windsor! Check out the deteriorating visibility along the Detroit River over the last few hours. Snow will quickly advance northeastward this evening. Webcam imagery courtesy of @Ontario511. #ONStorm pic.twitter.com/Wjjonxnczw

— ECCC Weather Ontario (@ECCCWeatherON) March 3, 2023

5 p.m. - In an interview with CP24, Ontario provincial police spokesperson Kerry Schmidt advised Greater Toronto Area (GTA) residents to avoid travel, unless necessary, and give plows ample time to clear streets before venturing out.

“If you're trying to get home before the storm hits, best you leave now, and once you do get home, stay home,” Schmidt said.

“If you can do anything to help, [it] would be staying off the roads until the system has passed, until the plows have cleared the highways until the salt has been put down and [until] the roads are safe for travel.”

4:25 p.m. - Hakeem Muhammad from city transportation services told CP24 that crews have applied liquid salt brine to Toronto expressways on critical locations to prevent the ice from bonding to the pavements. He also said the city has situated equipment and staff at strategic locations so they can respond in a timely fashion.

2:45 p.m. - The TTC cancelled a previously planned weekend subway closure and added extra bus service to key routes across the city to prepare for the severe conditions.

Regular service weekend service will run on Line 1 and approximately 50 additional buses will be put into service, the commission said.

"This will ensure a good level of service is maintained during the storm and its aftermath," a release issued Friday said. "Torontonians needing to travel during the storm are encouraged to use transit to reach their destination safely and reliably."

2 p.m. - Toronto Metropolitan University announced it would close campuses as of 4 p.m. Friday.

1:45 p.m. - WestJet announced the proactive closure of all flights in and out of Toronto Pearson Airport as of 8 p.m. Friday evening until Saturday morning, pending conditions.

Due to a major winter storm warning targeting southern Ontario, WestJet has proactively cancelled all scheduled flights operating to and from @TorontoPearson as of 8:00 p.m. EST this evening, until Saturday morning, pending conditions. https://t.co/iaThCry218

— WestJet News (@WestJetNews) March 3, 2023

To travellers flying through Toronto with Air Canada, the airline has offered flexing rebooking options, as cancellations and delays are possible, it says.

1:30 p.m. - York University announced it will close its campus to in-person activities at 5:30 p.m. Friday. Virtual activities and services will continue.

CAMPUS OPERATIONS SUSPENDED: York U campuses will be suspending operations as of 5:30pm. Evening, in-person, activities are canceled. Virtual activities and services continue. Updates about the overnight operations will be posted by 6pm. Read more: https://t.co/i52iUItROJ pic.twitter.com/jVoqDqqK0d

— York University (@YorkUniversity) March 3, 2023

12:50 p.m. - Senior climatologist for Environment Canada Dave Phillips told CP24 that Toronto could see its biggest storm of the year Friday evening, with up to 30 cm of snowfall forecast.

“If you take this snow we're going to get today and add it to what we've had the last 10 days, that's half a winter's worth of snow in 10 days,” Phillips said.

The snowfall is going to be heavy and wet, making it hard to push, plow, or shovel, the climatologist said.

“We're going to see a good old fashioned prairie blizzard here because when the snow starts falling about 6 p.m., it's going to be heavy – no easing into it – heavy right from the beginning,” he said.