City officials are urging drivers to take their time after Toronto got its first taste of winter weather on Wednesday.
“Drivers are reminded to slow down, follow (snow clearing) equipment at a safe distance and use gentle braking, steering and acceleration,” the city said in a winter operations update issued at 4:40 p.m
“Making these adjustments to how you drive will help keep everyone safe.”
As of 4 p.m., the city said salting is underway and has been done on major roads in the districts of Scarborough, North York and Etobicoke York. The city said salting is also underway on local roads in Scarborough and North York.
Toronto remains under a winter weather travel advisory issued by Environment Canada. In its forecast, the federal weather agency had said up to five centimetres of snow was expected to fall on Wednesday through to the evening.
A low pressure system that landed in the morning has brought snow and high winds to parts of the region.
Environment Canada has said the snowfall could result in reduced visibility and hazardous driving conditions.
Areas north of the city were hit harder.
OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt told CBC News that officers were very busy with calls for service Wednesday, with dozens of crashes through the morning alone on OPP-patrolled highways.
“Collision reporting centres are very busy,” he said.
Just how much snow you might encounter really depends on your location, Schmidt said, with less snow in downtown Toronto, but bigger accumulations as you head farther north through areas like Orillia and Huntsville.
“The weather may not be coming down as heavy in some areas, but sometimes just that little bit of moisture can make for very slippery and slick driving and catch drivers by surprise,” he said.
Significant winter weather is tracking across Ontario, The OPP are advising motorists to stay off the roads until the weather system passes and the roads have been cleared. <a href=”https://twitter.com/OPP_CR?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@OPP_CR</a> ^ks <a href=”https://t.co/ciamVsnjIE”>pic.twitter.com/ciamVsnjIE</a>
—@OPP_HSD
Peel paramedic officials told CBC News they responded to a number of crashes through the morning, especially on highways 403 and 407 — with multiple collisions on the 407 between Airport Road and Mississauga Road.
Some patients have sustained minor injuries, officials say.
Parts of Ontario still digging out from a major weekend storm are also expected to get another dump of snow.
The GTA is expected to see close to five centimetres of snow on Wednesday. Meanwhile, in Muskoka, Ont., the area is still cleaning up from last weekend’s storm that left many without power and some stranded on highways. CBC’s Lisa Xing has more.
The agency said Wednesday that Huntsville could see up to 14 centimetres of snow accumulation while Bracebridge, Gravenhurst and northern Kawartha Lakes could get up to 10 centimetres through the evening.
“Crews are still working on restoring power from last weekend’s power outage and weather event,” Schmidt said.
Officers from the Huntsville OPP detachment warned in a news release in the early afternoon that weather and road conditions were continuing to deteriorate.
“The OPP is urging the public to avoid non-essential travel during this time,” the statement reads. “Additional vehicles on the roads put occupants at risk and add additional challenges for snow removal.”
Richmond Hill is also warning that snow clearing delays could happen if heavy snowfall occurs in the region. CUPE 905 workers are currently on strike.
“Clearing of the city’s 1,100km of roads will experience some delays if there is more than 5 cm of snow accumulated,” the city said in a statement.
“Clearing of the city’s nearly 750 km of sidewalks will also be affected as salting will be delayed and it may take up to two days to plow any significant accumulation. Pedestrians are encouraged to take precaution while using sidewalks and pathways.”