Weather

Snowstorm Chokes Toronto: Sled is Vehicle of Choice

by jordan | December 2, 2007 at 01:19 pm | 970 views | 3 comments | 10 recommendations

The first real snowstorm of the year swooped in overnight, blanketing Toronto with snow. The Sunday commute became treacherous indeed: a friend of mine was called back in to work at Children's Hospital, since doctors from outside the Greater Toronto Area couldn't make it in.

As my own workday progressed, I grew curious how locals were dealing with the inclement weather, seasoned as they are to frigid climes and grey drifts of slush... so I grabbed my camera and took a walk. The downtown area seemed okay, as many residents could just walk or take a (now-slow-moving) bus, streetcar or subway to their destination of choice, but the roads in and out of the city were not pretty.

In Toronto police, fire and ambulance have been busy dealing with numerous minor collisions. Since 6 a.m. this morning, police traffic services have responded to at least six car accidents on the Don Valley Parkway.

“Most of them are due to speed, people losing control,” said Sgt. Allan Finley. “People have to realize that you have to be careful driving in the snow.”

According to Sgt. Dave Hall, the OPP have responded to roughly 130 minor accidents on the major highways since midnight.

The blustery conditions are also responsible for the delay or cancellation of dozens of flights at Pearson airport.

GO Transit is reporting all routes will be 15 to 45 minutes late depending on the road conditions.

And with all that, the worst might still be on its way.

Environment Canada is calling for periods of freezing rain with winds up to 50 km per hour to hit the area throughout the day as the temperature is expected to rise to a high of 2 degrees. And after all the rain falls, the mercury is expected to dip down to a low of 1 degree this evening as more snow moves into the area.

If you're traveling today or tomorrow in this region, double-check your flight before heading to the airport:

Pearson International Airport in Toronto is reporting some departure delays and cancellations. So are Montreal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport and Ottawa International Airport. Some airlines are cancelling their flights into the storm-affected areas.

The bit with the stairs at the end of the video... don't try that at home. Seriously.