

Chris Fox and Joshua Freeman, CP24.com





With a bout of nasty winter weather bearing down on the city, police are urging GTA drivers to use extra caution on the roads over the next day or so.

A winter storm warning and an extreme cold weather alert were issued for Toronto Sunday ahead of a Super Bowl blizzard that could drop 10 to 15 centimetres of snow on the city and make the temperature feel like - 26 C.

The developing storm started in Colorado and hit regions near Lake Huron early this morning and afternoon before moving into the Greater Toronto Area early Sunday night.

Snow fall amounts of 10 to 15 centimetres are expected for Toronto, however Burlington, Oakville and Hamilton will likely see 20-30 centimetres.

Winds of 30 km/h gusting up to 50 km/h are also expected throughout the region and the weather agency is warning of “significant reductions to visibility” as a result.

With snow covering the roads, police are reminding drivers that it’s important to leave lots of extra time to get around.

“What we need everybody to do is obviously slow down, leave room and leave yourself lots of extra time,” Const. Clint Stibbe told CP24. He said drivers should take care to avoid sudden lane changes and remember that roads may be slippery even if salted.

Stibbe also said that police will be out in force looking for impaired drivers.

“For the Super Bowl, we have put out additional RIDE patrols in tandem with the start of the game so we will be looking for anybody operating a motor vehicle while impaired,” he said. “There will be additional patrols as well. You can expect a high level of police enforcement around the city of Toronto tonight.”

In its warning, Environment Canada also urged drivers to use an added degree of caution on the roads as the bad weather moves in.

"Consider postponing non-essential travel until conditions improve. Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become difficult to navigate due to accumulating snow," the warning states. "Visibility will be suddenly reduced to near zero at times in heavy snow and blowing snow. Take extra care when walking or driving in affected areas."

The predicted high for today is - 11 C, though it will feel like - 26 with the wind chill.

Parts of the GTA, including Halton Hills, Oakville, Milton, Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Markham, Pickering, Oshawa, and southern Durham Region, are included in the winter storm warning.

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