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A snow squall warning for Toronto was downgraded to a watch on Thursday night.
The watch extends into Friday morning.
Snow squall warnings remain in effect for Hamilton, Halton-Peel and York-Durham.
“Locally heavy snow flurries in the area may become more organized overnight and Friday morning, forming snow squall bands,” Environment Canada said.
Thursday’s blustery conditions were a dramatic turn from a day earlier when Toronto and the GTA basked in record-breaking warmth. Toronto broke a warm-weather record when the temperature surpassed the 9.1 C record set in 2006.
The dramatic shift in temperature to below freezing led to a slippery morning commute for GTA drivers, some who took to Twitter to complain that the city was ill-prepared for the conditions.
City salt trucks apparently didn’t treat some major roads, including the Gardiner Expressway, ahead of Thursday morning’s commute. The slippery conditions forced police to close the westbound collector lanes of the highway around Islington Avenue for about an hour during the morning rush.
Trucks then salted the slippery lanes, which reopened around 8:30 a.m.
Peel police reported more than two dozen collisions during the morning rush hour, including a three-vehicle crash at Goreway Drive and Deerhurst Drive in Brampton that sent a two-year-old boy to hospital with a serious head injury.
A collision also closed westbound Lake Shore Boulevard West at Ellis Avenue for most of the morning rush.
Check the latest forecast here.
I can’t believe how much people are complaining about how bad the roads are. There is no snow at all. If you can’t drive in this honestly i can only imagine what you would do if it snowed like it used to 7 years ago. you would be screwed, this is nothing!
I dont know where you live but there is snow over 85% of the GTA. I have 3 inches outside my window. but i guess the world revolves around you and your house.
3 INCHES OF SNOW! CALL IN THE ARMY!
85%… Really? where did you pull that one out of…
I bet you if the city hired 100 more workers to make sure EVERYONE’s road was clean by 6 am, you would still complain that your tax money is being wasted and they need to cut spending….
Pull it from? Its called the internet. The weather network channel. you should expand your mind and you might learn something. And no one is saying its alot of snow…. but it is certainly enough to cause 200 car accidents.. so thanks for coming out.
I live near Yonge and St. Clair and the side streets were not plowed this morning or when I came home at around 6pm. So the snow on the streets has now becomed packed and is like ice for those driving. Why are the suburbs getting plowed and not the inner city…..hmmmm…..could it be because Toronto city proper didn’t vote for Ford and we’re getting punished?
Wow the city is really cutting back don’t see the plows working as much. Mr Ford, all these tax cuts, I even see so many drivers, even TTC breaking the law today with police close by, but what officer wants to get out in this weather to charge people for running a red light and people driving in the diamond lane. It just seems Toronto isn’t what it once was, it’s gotten worse.
Why would you need plows for a few centimeters?? idiot
Troll: I am pretty sure the ploughs and salters are actually contracted out piece workers, who are not unionized, and sleep in bunkers when they know a storm is coming. In fact, I know a large group of them aren’t unionized, and are not official city workers. If you ever look, you will see “Under Contract To” on the vehicles. However, keep your union bashing going, just shows how ignorant you are.
Haven’t you learned by now, Dianne?
ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that happens in this city is Mayor Ford’s fault, as Jontario can attest to.
God forbid anything good happens in this city. You can rest assured, though, that when something fabulous DOES happen in Toronto, every commenter on this site will be quick NOT to give praise to Rob Ford.
Nosirreebob. Ford is only mentioned when things are bad.
Like the weather.
Or recession.
Or alien abductions.
Or pollution in Lake Ontario.
Or the high price of gas in the ENTIRE province of Ontario.
‘cuz you know. Rob Ford.
All you Rob Ford haters……would you would like him more if the mayor didn’t think and care about the tax payers interests first. He does things on the staight and narrow….not suger coating it for the taxpayers, and then sticking it to them later.
Jontario – my street was done at 5:45 am this morning..and I’m in Scarborough. Get off the “it’s the Mayor’s fault” wagon already.
If not the “Mayor” Who is responsible for city services?
Actually, the city manager is responsible for the delivery and day to day operations of the City. Council and Mayor are not. They create our by-laws and decide on what the city will do, but, the actual person responsible is not the mayor.
The lazy workers are responsible who are sitting mucking around in coffee shops, coming late, not properly doing the work, etc. The unions are to blame not the politicians or the bureaucrats.
I stand corrected Viper, thanks
Hopefully, Jontario was joking.
So this is the Mayor’s fault?
Seems Etobicoke got their icy streets dealt with, but the rest of the city woke up to a slippery mess,
you’d think the mayor would consider the rest of the city with something close to his heart…SALT!
Actually, I’m in Etobicoke and well before Rob Ford, we had our streets done right away. Frequently, my side walk is done as well.