A messy and slow commute is in store for Toronto as the bulk of the expected snowfall fell during the morning hours and is still falling.
Farnell said five to 10 centimetres of snow is expected, with areas just north of downtown Toronto seeing the highest amounts.
“The snowfall rates of one or two centimetres per hour during the heart of the morning rush is the big problem,” Global News chief meteorologist Anthony Farnell said.
“This is a fast-moving Alberta clipper and while amounts won’t be extreme, the timing is very bad for anyone that needs to commute in the GTA.”
Environment Canada has issued a Winter Weather Travel Advisory for the city Friday.
“The morning commute will be impacted due to accumulating snow on untreated surfaces. Motorists should allow extra time to reach their destination,” the statement reads.
Environment Canada is forecasting a high of 0 C for Friday.
OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said as of 6 a.m. there were “amazingly, very few crashes on the go,” citing only two reported collisions so far along GTA highways. However, Schmidt expects that number to “likely change” as more drivers get going on the roads.
By 7 a.m., Schmidt said the number of crashes in the GTA had increased to two dozen.
Shortly after 9 a.m. there was a transport truck rollover on Highway 427 southbound ramp from Finch Avenue. The cleanup is expected to take a few hours.
The driver was taken to hospital with minor injuries and no other vehicles were involved.
As of just after 1 p.m., Toronto police’s Traffic Services unit said 51 collisions were reported on in-town roads this morning.
The City of Toronto said salting operations started at around 4:30 a.m. and will continue throughout the morning rush hour. Salting and plowing on pedestrian sidewalks started at 6 a.m. and is expected to be completed by 9 p.m.
“Be patient, slow down and everyone will get to where they are going,” the city’s winter operations team warned.
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