Snowfall warning issued for Toronto as city braces for record-breaking winter storm
Toronto is preparing for the arrival of what could be a historic snowstorm on Wednesday, and Environment Canada has issued a snowfall warning for the city as a system threatens to dump up to 20 cm of the white stuff on the 416.
The snowfall warning was put into effect for the City of Toronto just after 1:40 p.m. on Tuesday, cautioning locals of "significant snowfall with total amounts of 15 to 20 cm expected Wednesday into Thursday."
Confidence continues to increase in snowfall accumulations from Wednesday to Thursday! Here is an updated look at chance of snowfall over 10 cm over southern Ontario ❄️
— ECCC Weather Ontario (@ECCCWeatherON) January 23, 2023
View the special weather statement here 👉 https://t.co/VKkSKU3O87#ONstorm #ONwx pic.twitter.com/iwCgE6wxsu
Environment Canada is warning of reduced visibility due to heavy snow, difficult travel conditions, and even isolated power outages as snow weighs on power lines and tree branches.
The Texas Low system is bearing down on Toronto from the southwest and is expected to bring the leading edge of snowfall early Wednesday afternoon. These conditions could persist as late as Thursday morning, bringing a blanket of snow to the region.
Current look at snowfall warnings and special weather statements in Ontario for tomorrow. Reduced visibility in heavy snow. Rapidly, accumulating snow will make travel difficult. Isolated power outages are possible. #ONstorm #ONwx pic.twitter.com/CH6Cj0Uf7G
— Nathan Howes TWN (@HowesNathan) January 24, 2023
All of this snow could be accompanied by very strong winds, with gusting in the 65 km/h levels that could make for an extra miserable evening commute tomorrow.
Heavy snow with winds gusting to 65km/h during the evening "rush" tomorrow. Might be a day to work from home or at least leave early or maybe take public transit. #onstorm pic.twitter.com/oC92GLw6AH
— Anthony Farnell (@AnthonyFarnell) January 24, 2023
The snowfall warning comes just hours after Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for the City of Toronto warning of the coming major precipitation event.
On Monday, The Weather Network reported that the storm "will likely have an impact on multiple commute times, with a healthy swath of snow associated with it."
"For some in southern Ontario, this could be the biggest snowfall event so far this season if the higher totals pan out. There is, however, still some uncertainty with the exact snowfall amounts," notes the report.
Even if that snowfall falls well short of expectations, the coming storm will almost certainly unseat records for Jan. 25 snowfall.
The bar for this record is actually surprisingly low, with the record for snowfall on this date sitting at a measly 7.8 centimetres, a record that has gone unchallenged since 2005.
