Toronto Police Const. Shannon Eames says roads are ‘very slippery’ and to urge caution when driving in snowy conditions.
A few more centimetres of snow and a blast of wind were enough to trigger a special weather statement for Toronto and much of the GTA.
Environment Canada says 2 to 4 centimetres of additional snow and wind gusts up to 70 km/h are expected to hit Toronto, Mississauga and Brampton, while Markham and parts of Durham Region are facing a separate yellow snowfall warning under the agency’s new colour-coded alert system.
New weather alerts Credit: Environment & Climate Change Canada
For those folks in Markham and Durham, the national weather agency warns those areas could see 2 to 5 centimetres of additional snowfall, with up to 5 centimetres possible over higher terrain north of Lake Ontario, including the Oak Ridges Moraine.
How are police responding?
Toronto police say icy roads have already led to few collisions this morning and are urging drivers to slow down and prepare before heading out.
“(We) just want to tell drivers to keep your headlights on and clean off your car to make sure you have full visibility. Make sure you slow down and keep a safe distance from vehicles in case you need to stop or slow down and plan ahead,” said Toronto police Const. Shannon Eames.
Police are also asking residents to reconsider non-essential travel.
“Give yourself extra time to get to where you need to be, and if you don’t need to be on the roads, then we just suggest you stay off of it, stay at home, or you’re nice, warm and dry,” Eames said.
For those who must drive, she emphasized adjusting speed to conditions and staying prepared.
“You need to drive at a speed that you’re feeling safe. So if you do feel like you need to drive at a slower speed, just make sure you stay off to the right so you give people the two left lanes to get around and just pass slowly,” she said.
“One thing we always want you to have extra windshield washer fluid… the last thing you want is to run out of fluid while you’re on the roads, and then your visibility becomes very difficult… If you do happen to have to pull over, just make sure you have a nice warm jacket with you… Have some gloves and just things that will keep you warm.”
Eames confirmed police have already responded to multiple crashes.
“We have had a few collisions out there, which is why we just want to speak to the public to make sure that they get the tips that we are giving so that they can get to where they need to be safely.”
As temperatures continue to hover around 0 C, the City of Toronto says five warming centres remain open, with additional street outreach teams dispatched to encourage people to come indoors.
The warming centres are located at:
- 136 Spadina Rd.
- 81 Elizabeth St.
- 12 Holmes Ave.
- 885 Scarborough Golf Club Rd.
- 349 George St.
Environment Canada is urging residents across the GTA to monitor alerts and forecasts as conditions continue to change through the day.
