TORONTO — A significant winter storm swept across southern Ontario on Sunday, bringing widespread heavy snowfall and strong winds that caused major disruptions to travel and daily life across the region.
Environment officials described the system as a high-impact and historic storm, with snowfall rates intense enough at times to reduce visibility to near-whiteout conditions.
The snow was part of a larger weather system affecting much of the eastern United States and Canada. South of the border, more than one million customers were without power and airlines cancelled more than 10,000 flights.
In the Greater Toronto Area, Toronto-Pearson International Airport reported hundreds of flight cancellations on Sunday due to rapidly accumulating snow and poor visibility. Highway travel across southern Ontario was also affected, with numerous reports of collisions, vehicles stuck in ditches, and slow-moving traffic.
The storm set a new record at Toronto-Pearson Airport for the most snow ever recorded in a single day. As of Monday morning, the airport measured 46 centimetres of snow, surpassing the previous record of 39.9 centimetres set on Feb. 25, 1965. Meteorologists noted that 32 centimetres fell within just six hours on Sunday, exceeding the airport’s typical snowfall for the entire month of January.
Heavy snow accumulations were linked in part to lake-enhanced snowfall off Lake Ontario, driven by strong easterly winds. This band of snow stalled over parts of the Greater Toronto Area, producing snowfall rates of up to five centimetres per hour.
Unofficial snowfall totals reported by early Monday included 56 centimetres in downtown Toronto, 53 centimetres in Milton, 42 centimetres in Trenton, 17 centimetres in London, and 10 centimetres in Ottawa.
The storm prompted widespread school closures for Monday. Boards that cancelled classes included the Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board, and school boards in Halton, Hamilton-Wentworth, Peel, Durham, and York regions.
Emergency services responded to multiple incidents throughout the day, including several collisions on major roads. In Vaughan, a vehicle lost control on Hwy. 7 near Dufferin St. and struck a guardrail. Emergency crews attended the scene, and no major injuries were reported.
Cleanup efforts were ongoing across southern Ontario as municipal crews worked to clear roads, sidewalks, and transit routes following one of the most significant snowfall events the region has experienced in decades.
