East Toronto starts the big dig out after record snowfall hits city

Toronto is digging out after one of its highest single-day snowfalls on record.

Sidestreets were scenes of buried cars and people shovelling in East Toronto on the morning of Monday, Jan. 26 – the day after the storm hit.

At Pearson Airport, 46 centimetres of snow were reported on Sunday – the highest amount on record for one day at the airport. Snowfall totals in some parts of the city, including areas close to Lake Ontario such as the Beach recorded as much as 60 centimetres of snow falling yesterday.

Schools across Toronto are closed today, marking the second Snow Day of the month for students. A Snow Day was also called on Thursday, Jan. 15.

City crews are now busy working on snow clearing efforts as the Major Snow Event Response Plan has been activated. As part of that plan, the City of Toronto has declared a Major Snow Storm Condition and Significant Weather Event.

Those declarations put into effect protocols to make snow clearing from streets easier, including numerous parking restrictions on snow routes. Vehicles parked on those snow routes will be towed at the owner’s expense and also be subject to a fine of $500. For a list of city streets designated as snow routes, please go to https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/9879-List-of-streets-impacted-by-major-snow-storm-condition-2015-16.pdf

The Significant Weather Event declaration means it may take longer than usual for the city to clear roads, sidewalks and bike lanes and the city is exempt from provincial regulations regarding snow clearing due to the declaration having been made. Snow clearing will focus on “prioritization” of community safety, the city said.

Toronto residents are being advised to remain patient while snow clearing is taking place.

For more information on the city’s snow clearing plans and plowing updates, residents can follow the City of Toronto on X (formerly Twitter) get updates via @cityoftoronto and can view plowing operations as they occur, with up to a four-hour delay, at https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/streets-parking-transportation/road-maintenance/winter-maintenance/plowto/?WT_rd_id=%2FplowTO#location=&lat=&lng=&zoom=

Here are some more Monday morning photos of the snow from the East Toronto area: