The Ontario Provincial Police say in a 24-hour span they have responded to 340 snow-related incidents involving Greater Toronto Area drivers as the first, and record-breaking early snowfall of the season hit southern Ontario.
OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said as of Monday morning 220 collisions were reported and there were approximately 120 or more incidents where vehicles ended up in ditches or got stuck in snow.
Schmidt said there were mostly minor, fender-bender style collisions but there were a couple serious collisions along Highway 400 with some people taken to hospital with critical injuries.
He called it a “very busy 24 hours.”
“If you’re heading out this morning, make sure you clear your vehicle from all the ice and snow. It might be frozen, your doors might be stuck, your windows are going to be covered,” Schmidt said.
“Make sure you clear it all off so you can see all the way around your vehicle when you do hit the roads.”
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He said although the majority of snow fell Sunday, drivers on the roads will feel the after effects with snow, ice and further accumulation. Vehicles parked outside are covered and driveways and sideroads have visible snow on the roads as cleanup continues.
Sunday’s snowfall in Toronto brought the largest amount of early-season accumulation in more than five decades, an Environment Canada meteorologist said on Monday.
Geoff Coulson said a total of 9.8 centimetres of snow was reported at Pearson International Airport, a significant and rare snowfall amount for this time of year.
“That’s the most snow that’s fallen on Nov. 9 at that site ever. The previous record was 1.5 centimetres (that) fell back in 1971,” he said.
“If we look further into the record books, the only snowier date earlier in the month was Nov. 2, 1966, where the Pearson airport reported 10.2 centimetres of snow.”
He said 7.1 centimetres of snow fell on Oct. 21, 1969, and another 5.3 centimetres the next day.
“It was a two-day event back then that gave a notable snowfall,” he said. “There’s been other events that they may have had some snow, but not necessarily the amounts that we’re talking about.”
The snow was caused by a low pressure system that blanketed much of southern Ontario, with 16 centimetres reported in Hamilton and 11.7 centimetres in Ottawa as of Monday morning.
Meanwhile, Schmidt said the highways are mostly wet but sidewalks and other roads are “crunchy with snow” and warns drivers could find themselves sliding.
The first major snowfall came a bit earlier than the Toronto-area usually expects, but Schmidt said when it comes to winter tires they are very important to have on.
“If you haven’t put them on, you kind of missed your opportunity and I know that the shops are going to be super busy with people calling and panicking trying to get those winter tires on,” Schmidt said.
“They will give you that little extra traction. They will help.”
— With files from The Canadian Press
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