The second wave of a 36-hour storm punished southern and eastern Ontario on Saturday, and the system was expected to leave behind between 30 to 50 centimetres of before it passed.
The snowfall caused blizzard-like conditions on highways around Toronto, and several hundred accidents had been reported by Saturday afternoon.
The blowing snow caused whiteout conditions on sections of Highway 400, triggering provincial police to urge motorists to pull off the highway until visibility improved.
The majority of accidents involved vehicles spinning out into ditches or hitting guardrails, police said. There were no serious injuries reported.
But Niagara-on-the-Lake, a tour bus with 17 passengers flipped into a ditch. Emergency crews had to use a ladder to get people out through the windows.
Five to 10 centimetres of snow fell on Toronto on Friday, but another 15 to 20 centimetres were expected by the time the storm ends.
The total snowfall put the city in line to set a new record. The current record, set 70 years ago, is 207 centimetres. Prior to Friday's snowfall, the city had 170 centimetres of the white stuff.
Wind gusts of up to 70 km/h made Saturday's -5 C feel more like -16. The city issued an extreme cold weather alert, which opens up an additional 80 shelter spaces for the homeless. Officials urged residents to stay off the roads and limit outdoor activity.
Travel delays
The crippling weather, which came as many Ontarians just finished shovelling away the last major snowfall on Wednesday, stymied many March break travel plans.
Extensive delays and cancellations were reported at Pearson International Airport, and there were delays along GO Transit trains. You can find links to that information on the right-hand side of this page.
Elizabeth Los and Janet Bigham's early-morning flight was cancelled, and they tried desperately to get to San Diego to catch their cruise.
"We're both teachers so we're really looking forward to March break," Los said. "It's not like we can do this again next week."
Pearl Lamont and Shane McDonough, along with 30 friends and relatives, waited patiently for a flight to Mexico, where they planned to get married.
Environment Canada said there was the potential of between 40 to 50 centimetres of snow falling in areas from the Niagara Peninsula to Ottawa.
"Areas north of Lake Ontario and into the St. Lawrence Valley should not be surprised by the occurrence of some thunder and lightning as this vigorous low passes by late today," an advisory stated.
The storm originated in the United States and was blamed for at least three deaths there on Friday. It also slammed into unlikely southern states such as Texas and Alabama.
The system also caused hail, tornadoes and heavy rains in some states. Two people died when tornadoes struck in Florida.
Toronto residents will be digging out in much better weather on Sunday, as the forecast calls for sunshine and a high of -4 C.
With reports from CTV Toronto's John Musselman and Matet Nebres
