Southern Ontario winter storm blankets Toronto with snow

February 12, 2025 Canuck

Toronto remains under a snowfall warning as a winter storm blankets the city with snow Wednesday night.

Environment Canada says the storm, which is hitting parts of southern Ontario, is bringing a “significant snowfall” to the city and the snow is expected to fall until early Thursday.

The federal weather agency says the city could receive about 15 centimetres. At the peak of the storm, snowfall rates could be two to four centimetres per hour.

Snow may become mixed with ice pellets late Wednesday evening or overnight in some areas, but it is expected to taper off gradually on Thursday morning.

Police urge people to stay home if possible

Ontario Provincial Police’s highway safety division is receiving calls for service all across the Greater Toronto Area on Wednesday night.

“Well, the winter weather has definitely arrived in the GTA,” Sgt. Kerry Schmidt, spokesperson for the division, said from Highway 400.

“Traffic is still moving but the snow is coming down and it’s starting to accumulate on the lanes, making for some slippery conditions.”

<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/OnStorm?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#OnStorm</a> is now in the GTA. Get home and stay home.<br>If you need to be out on the roads, make sure you are driving to the conditions, stay in control and drive safe. ^ks <a href=”https://t.co/n4Wn3l7OPW”>pic.twitter.com/n4Wn3l7OPW</a>

—@OPP_HSD

Schmidt said people should stay home if they can. He said if people have to drive, they should drive according to the weather conditions, turn on their vehicle’s full headlight system and drive with a full tank of gas.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Toronto police said: “If you can, stay home and stay off the roads as conditions may be challenging. If you have to drive, slow down and drive according to weather conditions.”

Several areas in the GTA also remain under a snowfall warning, while other areas remain under a winter storm warning with some expecting up to 30 centimetres of snow.

The storm is a widespread system affecting southern and eastern Ontario, according to Geoff Coulson, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada.

Though most of the snow is expected to have fallen by Thursday morning, Coulson said ice pellets and freezing rain in some areas could create slick conditions for commuters.

Parking on snow routes banned from 10 p.m., city says

The City of Toronto declared a significant weather event and a “major snowstorm condition” ahead of the winter storm. The declarations will come into effect at 10 p.m. on Wednesday.

Woman holding a road sign that designates a snow route — Parking on designated snow routes in Toronto will be banned from 10 p.m. Wednesday to make way for winter maintenance equipment, the city said. Signs designating these routes are always up, said Barbara Gray, the city’s general manager of transportation services. (Saeed Dehghanhi/CBC)

While these declarations are in place, parking on roads designated as snow routes is banned to make way for winter maintenance equipment, the city said in a news release Wednesday.

These routes are designated by signs that are up all year round, Barbara Gray, the city’s general manager of transportation services, said during a news conference Wednesday.

Vehicles parked on snow routes will be towed and owners could be fined up to $200, the city said.

The significant weather event declaration means the city will be exempt from provincial service levels for winter maintenance, as it will take longer than usual to clear city roads, sidewalks and bicycle lanes.

“We anticipate these declarations will remain in effect until Tuesday, but they could be cancelled sooner if the forecast changes and the roads are deemed safe and passable,” she said.

People are being asked to avoid plowing snow from their private property onto city roads or sidewalks.

Commuters on Front Street — People walk in downtown Toronto as snow from a winter storm falls in the city. (Jérémie Bergeron/Radio-Canada)

TTC deploying extra workers, maintenance vehicles

In a news release, the TTC advised people to take public transit instead of driving during the storm.

A planned subway closure on Line 1 between Bloor-Yonge and Osgoode stations at 11 p.m. has been cancelled on Wednesday, it said, but the closures will happen on Thursday and Friday.

The TTC said it is deploying additional TTC employees and maintenance vehicles throughout the transit system to spread salt and clear surfaces of snow and to keep signals, switches and overhead power operating.

The transit system is also monitoring 56 bus stops in areas where buses have often had trouble stopping due to snow or ice on the ground.

In addition, the TTC said it would also do the following to ensure service runs smoothly:

Run “anti-icing” trains to keep the power rail and tracks clear of snow and ice.
Spray anti-icing on the streetcar overhead network and on the ground at all bus, streetcar, and subway divisions.

A temporary Line 2 shutdown of subway service between Woodbine and Broadview stations, which lasted until about 5:45 p.m., complicated the commute home. Regular service has resumed.

Traffic on Danforth Avenue was slow during the evening commute home on Wednesday due to a temporary shutdown of Line 2 between Woodbine and Broadview stations. Regular service has resumed. (Grant Jennings/CBC)

GO Transit to operate on special schedule Thursday

In an email, Metrolinx said GO Transit and UP Express are continuing to operate on regular schedules on Wednesday, but there will be a special schedule in place on Thursday, which means some GO Train trips will be cancelled or modified.

“With significant snow expected over night, we will run on a special schedule tomorrow, February 13, to ensure we can maintain reliable service while keeping our trains clear of snow and ice build-up,” Metrolinx said.

Customers are urged to check out the GO Transit website for modified trip times.

TDSB to decide Thursday about bus cancellations

In a post on X, the Toronto District School Board says it will monitor the storm and provide an update by 6 a.m. Thursday about potential school bus delays or cancellations.

A close-up of the front of a school bus, showing a snow-covered windshield. The words, School Bus, can be seen at the top of the vehicle. — In a post on X, the Toronto District School Board says it will monitor the storm and provide an update by 6 a.m. Thursday about potential school bus delays or cancellations. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press)

Several flights cancelled, Pearson Airport says

Several airlines have cancelled flights due to the storm and delays are affecting some flights, Toronto’s Pearson International Airport and Nav Canada Operations said in posts on X on Wednesday.

People flying on Wednesday and Thursday are advised to check the status of their flight with their airline, the airport said. Airport staff will clear snow off runways, taxiways and aprons on Wednesday night and into Thursday morning, it said.

Public Safety Canada said everyone is encouraged to make an emergency plan and have an emergency kit that contains drinking water, food, medicine, a first aid kit and a flashlight.

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