Toronto nears single-day snowfall record as city declares major snowstorm

Toronto was on track Sunday for its snowiest day on record as the city declared a "major snowstorm condition." By 10 p.m., Toronto Pearson International Airport had received about 18 inches (46 centimeters) of snow, and snow was still falling, the airport said.

The most snow the city has received in a single day was 19 inches on Dec. 11, 1944, the Toronto Star reported. Temperatures at the airport dipped to as low as 9 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 13 Celsius), and with gusts reaching nearly 30 miles per hour the wind chill reached as low as minus 9 Fahrenheit (minus 23 Celsius), according to the Canadian government. Mayor Olivia Chow said on social media that the peak of the heavy snowfall would end around 11 p.m., and the city had over 600 snowplows on its roads and sidewalks.

The airport said that around 65 percent of all departures and arrivals had been canceled from Saturday evening through Sunday, though it was unclear how many were canceled because of bad weather. All Toronto Public Library branches were closed on Sunday and some restaurants were closed across the city. Hundreds of Toronto schools will be closed on Monday; the Toronto District School Board said classes and after school programs would be canceled, and the Toronto Catholic District School Board said high school exams scheduled for Monday would be rescheduled.

Key Topics

World, Toronto, Toronto Snowstorm, Toronto Pearson, Olivia Chow, Toronto Public Library