Communities just north of Toronto continue to dig out from two days of heavy snowfalls that have caused delays, road closures and accidents but brought relief to ski resorts that struggled through a mild Christmas season.
A blinding snow storm blew through Barrie, dumping so much snow that in one instance a snow plow skidded off the road, coming to a halt in the ditch.
Highway 400 ground to a halt for several hours on Thursday as a tractor-trailer jackknifed in slippery road conditions.
The truck lost control near Innisfil Side Road, creating a traffic snarl in the southbound lanes that lasted for several hours.
Only minor injuries were reported in the accident.
Twenty centimetres of snow fell on cottage country throughout the day. Owen Sound continued to dig out after being hit with almost a metre of snow since Sunday.
Up to 30 centimetres of the white stuff fell southeast of Georgian Bay on Thursday.
A snow squall warning was issued by Environment Canada Thursday afternoon for an large swath of Ontario, including the Bruce Peninsula, a corridor between Barrie to Parry Sound and the Wingham and Stratford areas in the south and southwest.
Prince Edward County was also being warned of high winds. Gusts were expected to reach 90 km/h Thursday evening.
But the snowy weather missed Toronto, edging close to the city's border at Markham with flurries. Temperatures in the city even managed to go up slightly, ending an extreme cold weather alert which had been in effect continuously since Feb. 3.
Ski resorts north of Toronto were thrilled with the two days of snow. Blue Mountain ski resort spokesperson Kelly O'Neil told the Toronto Star that the skiers were flocking to the slopes and all 35 runs were open.
"Conditions are amazing ... perfect," O'Neil told the Star.
