Winter storm dumps messy mix of snow, rain on GTA

A winter storm brought a sloppymix of snow and heavy rainfallto the GTAand wide swaths of the province on Tuesday.

For Toronto and immediately surrounding areas,snow that arrived mid-morning turned to rain in theevening as temperatures rose. The result was a slushymess on sidewalks and roads.

Environment Canada said "ponding"on roads was possible due to the volume of rain.

"The frozen ground has a reduced ability to absorb this rainfall,"Environment Canada said. "Localized flooding in low-lying areas is possible. Heavy downpours can cause flash floods and water pooling on roads."

Residents were urged to keep children and pets away from creeks and riverbanks.

Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said Tuesday was a stressful day for many motorists and a busy day for many officers. He said the OPP responded to dozens of crashes across the GTA throughout the "wet and sloppy" day.

"Even though it's raining,the roads are still slick," he said.

Schmidt urged motorists to drive to the conditions, which he saidmeans having full headlights on,paying attention to what is happening in front and behind the vehicle, and looking way down the horizon to prepare to adjust driving for unexpected changes in traffic volumes or patterns.

"Give yourself lots of space so you can adjust your driving, your speed, your lane in plenty of time without having to make a panic oraggressive move," he said.

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Environment Canada has issued a slew of wind, snowfall and winter storm warnings from B.C. to Newfoundland and Labrador. One system is expected to bring 20 to 40 centimetres in Ontario and Quebec, while B.C. is dealing with power outages and ferry cancellations.

During the day, he said many motorists lost control, hit other vehicles, wentinto concrete walls, and slidoff roads into ditches at on and off ramps.

"As this rain continues throughthe overnight hours, please drive accordingly," he added.

Earlier, Schmidt said significant amounts ofrain can result in driving conditions that can be just as dangerous on the roads as large amounts of snow. Standing water, for example, can result in hydroplaning, which means wet and slippery roads, he said.

Areas north of the city, like in Caledonand Newmarket, were forecast to see 10 to 15 centimetres of snow accumulate but are also at risk of freezing rain later in the day.

A 'sprawling' Texas low system

David Phillips, senior climatologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said the storm wasa "sprawling, expansive Texas low" that hadbeen "sitting on Ontario's doorstep" for several days. A Texas low is an area of low pressure that forms over the Gulf of Mexico before heading north.

Phillips said a system like this would typically stay south of the Great Lakes, but this one was forecast to be"almost a spring-like storm that's going to ride right through the heart of Ontario, coming from Michigan."

Itbroughtwith it warmer air and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico that was expectedto collide with the cold air that was sitting over the province, he said.

"So we're going to see a mix of precipitation," Phillips added. Temperatures are going to continue to rise throughout the day, and the storm could also bring blustery winds of up to 50 km/h, he said.

TTC says it's ready for winter weather

Some GTA school boards cancelled bus service in particular coverage zones before thestorm.

Pearson airport said it didnot anticipate any travel disruptions due to the blast of winter weather but cautioned travellers to leave plenty of time and check their flight status before heading out.

The TTCurged drivers to take public transit instead. In a statement, the TTC saidit deployedextra employees andvehicles throughout the city that will spread salt, clear surfaces of snow.It also planned to runanti-icing trains to keep power rail and tracks clear of snow and ice, sprayanti-icing through its transit network and provide frequent updates online, it said.

The transit service said it wouldactively monitor56 bus stops in areas where heavy snow and freezing rain is known to impact bus serviceand advisedcustomers tocheck if their stop is in servicebefore traveling. Wheel-Trans service will continue, but service may be delayed.

It advisedall ridersfind real-time updates on itswebsiteand plan for extra travel time.

Central, eastern Ontario hit hardest

Meanwhile, some regions in the central and eastern Ontariowere put under a storm watch for Tuesdayand into Wednesdaymorning.

The heaviest snow was predicted for central Ontario, including Sault Ste. Marie and Greater Sudbury, where Environment Canada calledfor between 15 and 30 centimetres starting Tuesday afternoon.

Ottawa and the surrounding area are also under a storm watch with Environment Canada predicted to see 10 to 20 centimetres of snow, possibly turning into freezing rain and ice pellets Tuesday night.

Toronto opens warming centres

The City of Toronto advisedresidents to take public transit, give themselves extra time to get around and travel with caution on Tuesday as weather conditions wereexpected to worsen.

It is also openedfour warming centres for walk-ins starting at 5 p.m. at:

• 136 Spadina Road, south of Dupont Street.
• 75 Elizabeth Street, behind city hall and west of Bay Street, south of Dundas StreetWest.
• North York Warming Centreat 15 Olive Ave., east of Yonge Street andsouth of Finch AvenueEast.
• 885 Scarborough Golf Club Road, east of Markham Road and south of Ellesmere Road.