It's not your imagination: this winter is colder than last

The city of Toronto declared an extreme cold weather alert Wednesday morning as Torontonians woke up to chilly temperatures plunging to -13 C, which felt more like -20 C with the wind chill.

Extreme cold weather alerts are issued by Toronto Public Health when the mercury is expected to hit -15 C without the wind chill.

The alerts trigger additional services for homeless people, including emergency shelters, drop-in centres, 24-hour street respite.

This is the city’s seventh extreme cold alert of the winter.

Last winter, the city issued the least amount of alerts in five years with just seven from November through to April.

Geoff Coulson from Environment Canada said by Wednesday night temperatures will dip to -23 or -24, factoring the wind chill, but the harsh winds are expected to die down by Thursday morning.

“The minus-degree weather should continue on Thursday and Friday, but we won’t have the wind to contend with,” he said.

Environment Canada is predicting it will be -15 C on Thursday and -16 on Friday, which are below seasonal.

Seasonal temperatures for this time of year are -2 C, said Coulson.

But the weekend brings some relief from the frigid weather, with temperatures rising above seasonal.

The high on Saturday will be 1 C and 4 C for Sunday and Monday.

--Daniela Germano, Staff Reporter

Photos: Gulf Stream bypasses the U.K.

The sun sets over the sea looking towards Lands End viewed from Gwenver beach near Sennen Cove on Feb. 7, 2011 in Cornwall, England.

Like many parts of the U.K., Cornwall is currently enjoying milder weather after what has been one of the harshest winters on record.

Normally, the Gulf Stream, which brings warm air from the Caribbean, makes Cornwall's weather a lot milder than other places in the world at the same latitude (such as Newfoundland) and gives it the U.K.'s only area of sub-tropical climate.

This winter however, the Gulf Stream was diverted, leading to arctic weather conditions. (Photos by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

Snowfall warning for parts of southern Ontario

A man plays with his dog in some of the freshly fallen snow in a parking lot at Lakeshore and Yonge, Feb. 5, 2011 STEVE RUSSELL/TORONTO STAR

It’s no Snowmageddon, but southwestern Ontario and the Golden Horseshoe are in line for a snowy winter night.

Environment Canada issued a snowfall warning for several regions of southern Ontario Saturday evening, predicting bursts of heavy snow and low visibility from London through Kitchener and into the York-Durham regions.

Accumulations of up to 15 cm are expected in those areas.

The weather agency has already noted near-whiteout conditions on web cameras along the Hwy 401-Hwy 403 corridor and is warning of dangerous driving conditions.

The GTA will see less of the white stuff but can still expect about 5 cm, according to Environment Canada. The temperature in the city will hit a low of minus 7C and the snow is expected to end late Saturday evening.

- Christine Dobby, Staff Reporter

GTA-bound storm wreaks havoc in U.S.

Airline passengers sleep in Terminal D at DFW International Airport on February 1, 2011 in Dallas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

The weather system that could bring 20 to 30 cm of snow to GTA Tuesday night started in Texas and Oklahoma, where the white stuff started falling Monday evening.

 

Dallas and parts of central and northern Oklahoma woke up Tuesday to 23 centimetres of snow.

The frigid weather shut down schools and cancelled flights along the storm’s path, including Texas, Oklahoma, St. Louis, Kansas and Chicago.

“There are blizzard warnings from central Oklahoma all the way up to Detroit,” said meteorologist Chris Nuttall for the National Weather Service in Amarillo, Texas.

David Phillips, senior climatologist from Environment Canada said the system travelling northwest still has a long way to go until it hits the city.

“Its power, its punch and potency will be felt on Wednesday,” he said.

On Tuesday, the Kansas and St. Louis areas are expected to receive the brunt of the storm, creeping its way north.

On Monday, icy roads in Kansas were blamed for one traffic fatality and numerous other accidents.

The governor released a statement that public offices would be closed on Tuesday due to the severe weather conditions.

By Wednesday morning, more than 20 cm of snow will land in many parts of the central United States. Winds will reach speeds of more than 50 km/h, accompanied by temperatures of -20 C before as the storm makes its way up to the Great Lakes Tuesday night.

The U.S. National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning and hazardous weather outlook for the Chicago area on Tuesday, but the snow is not expected to begin there until Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning, said Amy Sealy, National Weather Service meteorologist for the Chicago area.

She said they are preparing for the biggest storm since 1967 by closing schools early on Tuesday and cancelling flights.

Some areas in Chicago could see as much as 50 cm of snow by Wednesday, she added. Meanwhile in Toronto, there’s a 40 per cent chance the flurries that fell Tuesday morning will return in the afternoon.

No more than two centimetres are expected to fall by that time before the major snow fall occurs at around midnight, said Phillips.

“At this point we may release a blizzard warning” he said, which is usually issued when the winds reach more than 50 km/h, visibility less than one kilometre and “mean wind chills,” he added.

“This is quite the nasty system and it should affect more than 100 million people in North America,” Phillips said.

Toronto’s Emergency Medical Services is scaling down its administration Tuesday to keep more staff on the road, said Duty Officer Allen Cameron, as the city prepares for the worst snow storm in almost three years.

-- Daniela Germano, Staff Reporter

200 flights cancelled at Toronto airport

About 200 flights in and out of Toronto have been cancelled as the forecast for Tuesday evening calls for whiteout conditions, gusty winds, and up to 30 centimetres of snow in parts of southern Ontario.

Bad weather is not the only reason for the cancellations, but many of the flights were supposed to travel through areas in the path of a much-hyped snowstorm expected to hit later today and Wednesday, said Greater Toronto Airports Authority spokesperson Trish Krale.

Flights have been cancelled to many U.S. cities, such as Cincinnati, Dallas, Pittsburgh,
Detroit, Boston and Chicago.

Passengers can check the status of incoming and departing flights online at www.gtaa.com

On the ground, Environment Canada is urging motorists to exercise caution on the slick roads.

“Travellers should be prepared to adjust plans accordingly as this is likely going to be a large and potentially dangerous winter storm,” said the weather authority, in a statement.

Touted as possibly the worst snowstorm in recent memory by Environment Canada, 20 to 30 centimetres of snow are expected to start falling this afternoon in the Greater Toronto Area.

The storm will ease into the area with scattered flurries and pick up by Tuesday night. It is expected to taper off by Wednesday afternoon. Temperatures will see a high of -6C, but it will feel much colder with the wind chill.

Gusty winds are expected to hit up to 60 km/h, Environment Canada said.

The winter storm warning also includes Barrie, Peterborough, Cornwall, Parry Sound, Ottawa and Kingston.

The storm is also wreaking havoc south of the border with snow, rain, tornadoes, and ice. Kansas City, St. Louis and Milwaukee are bracing for what may be one of the biggest snowstorms.

Environment Canada senior climatologist Dave Phillips said the storm will affect 100 million people in North America.

-- Liem Vu and Jenni Dunning, Staff Reporters

Storm could bring 'near-paralyzing' conditions

As the weather made its way north Monday, Environment Canada upgraded its special weather statement to a winter storm watch just before 11 a.m., covering all of southern Ontario — including Hamilton, Barrie, London and more.

Environment Canada warns that the weather could create dangerous, “near-paralyzing” conditions.

The weather office is advising people in Southern Ontario to be prepared to cancel travel plans, as heavy snowfall and blowing snow will likely produce whiteout conditions and make for extremely hazardous driving conditions.

-- Wendy Gillis, Staff Reporter

'Wild weather' headed for the GTA

Get your shovels ready — “wild weather” is headed to the GTA in the form of the worst snowstorm in at least two years, warns Environment Canada.

Starting around noon Tuesday, 20 to 30 centimetres of snow — that’s nearly a foot — is expected to hit the Greater Toronto Area and Environment Canada has issued a winter storm watch across all of southern Ontario, including Toronto, Hamilton, Barrie and London.

Heavy snowfall and winds from 40 to 60 km/h will increase late into the night and continue into early Wednesday, with Monday’s frigid temperatures — -16 C, which felt like -22 C with the wind chill factor — warming marginally to -8 C, which still will feel like -16 C. The average temperature for early February is about -2 C.

As soon as the snow begins, Toronto’s fleet of 200 salt trucks will hit the expressways and main roads. Once it hits five centimetres, the 600 snow plows will follow, first to expressways and main arteries and then local roads. Road plowing is normally completed between 14 to 16 hours after a storm has ended.

In the centre of the city, property owners are required to clear their sidewalks of snow within 12 hours after a storm. The city will clear snow from sidewalks where it is possible to do so after 5 cm of snow has fallen.

The cause of the storm is a low pressure system developing over the southern states, said Dave Phillips, Environment Canada’s senior climatologist. Cold air from the north will combine with “warm sopping moist air from the south.”

“This is when wild weather breaks out,” he said.

By the time the severe storm system has made its way through 29 U.S. states and four Canadian provinces, it will have affected 100 million people in North America, says Phillips.

But he also says location is everything, and there’s a chance the system could stay more to the south, which could cause Toronto to get more snow than areas further north. “The closer you are to Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, the more effect it’s going to have.”

But Ontario won’t see the worst of it: The storm is already bringing rain, snow, ice, hail and even tornadoes south of the border.

“All we’re going to deal with is snow, and blowing and drifting,” Phillips says.

Before noon Tuesday, Phillips predicts there will be a “dress rehearsal” for the big snowfall, saying flurries will likely begin in the morning.

So far this winter, the most snowfall Toronto has seen in one day is 11 cm. Last winter, it was 9.6 cm in one day.

--Wendy Gillis, Staff Reporter, with files from Louise Brown

Rising temperatures to bring falling snow

A man's breath is lit by the setting sun while skating on a cold afternoon in Toronto on Sunday, Jan. 23, 2011.(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese)

 

Toronto’s deep freeze is set to end by Monday evening.

 

The last of the extreme cold the city experienced over the weekend will gradually lift as newer, smaller weather systems are ushered in for the rest of the week.

Environment Canada senior climatologist Dave Phillips estimates that temperatures will reach highs of 0 to -2C on Wednesday and -5C on Thursday.

“This is the week the temperatures bottom out and they begin to rise upwards slowly…for the duration of winter,” said Phillips, adding that temperatures won’t drop back into the double digits.

But that reprieve in the cold comes with a downside: more snow.

 “Currently there is some snow over Lake Ontario,” says Ria Alsen, meteorologist for Environment Canada, first thing Monday morning.

“Right now it’s sitting just over the lake hitting Toronto Island.”

Alsen warns the snow could push over the lake and if it does, it may be heavy at times.

“It’s a question of how much inland this burst of snow will come,” says Alsen.

If it does come inland, it will hit the city either late Monday morning or early afternoon with the possibility of 5 cm falling in and around the GTA.

The flurries at times may be heavy and higher amounts are possible if the lake effect band moves slowly across the city.

Visibility may be severely reduced to near zero at times in heavy flurries.

 “The rest of the week will be rather uneventful, it won’t get as cold as it has been,” says Alsen. “We might see some flurries but no major systems are expected.”

The past weekend saw the coldest moment of winter thus far, said Phillips, with temperatures dropping to -33C with the wind chill.

-- Hayley Kelman, Staff Reporter

Bitter cold shuts some schools in U.S. Northeast

NEW YORK— Bone-chilling cold has prompted schools around the Northeast to delay openings and some canceled classes all together on Monday, as an Arctic cold front extended its stay in the region.

Schools in western and northeastern Pennsylvania, across upstate New York and parts of Vermont and New Hampshire closed their doors or delayed openings to protect students from temperatures that dropped in some locations as low as 25 degrees below zero or even colder.

The wind chill in some areas of New England was expected to make it feel as cold as 50 degrees below zero.

The cold snap was linked to at least two weekend deaths in the Northeast, including that of a woman whose frozen body was found in a driveway.

In upstate New York, the National Weather Service issued wind chill advisories and warnings for much of the region, including the Adirondacks where the low was 36 below in Saranac Lake early Monday morning.

Wind chill advisories were issued for much of western New York, and forecasters in some northern areas said it felt like 40 below with the wind chill.

Layered clothing was the order of the day around New Jersey as temperatures dropped to single digits or below zero. In Newark, N.J., the wind chill made it feel like four below zero.

The National Weather Service predicted a high of 20 in New York City, but problems were reported at New York City's LaGuardia and Kennedy airports early Monday morning.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said it took extra steps overnight to ensure that its commuter trains and subways and buses would run without problems for the morning rush.

Extra crews checked on signals and switches and deicer and scraper trains were run to ensure ice did not build up on the rails. Some subway trains were stored underground and buses were checked for any equipment problems.

The thermometer was at minus-6 degrees around 6 a.m. Monday in Mt. Pocono, in eastern Pennsylvania. Subzero temperatures were also recorded in western Pennsylvania, where the National Weather Service issued an advisory over wind chills as low as 20 degrees below zero.

In Philadelphia, a group of determined parents waited on a sidewalk overnight to enroll their children in kindergarten at a prestigious school run in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania. The Penn Alexander School eventually opened its doors, letting the parents in from the cold.

About 90 miles northwest of Philadelphia, a man died after spending the night in his car in frigid temperatures in Lansford, and his wife found him Saturday morning. Temperatures had dropped into the single digits overnight, but it's unclear why 49-year-old Alan Kurtz had slept in his car.

In North Haven, Conn., a woman's frozen body was found in a home's driveway Sunday morning after a neighbor called police. Denise O'Hara apparently fell in a driveway and froze to death Saturday night, when temperatures were close to zero, police said.

In Pittsburgh, where the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the New York Jets in the NFL playoffs Sunday evening, the temperature was about 13 degrees at game time.

--The Associated Press

Frosty weekend in store for Toronto

With a frosty weekend on the way, Toronto issued an extreme cold weather alert Friday morning.

It's expected that temperatures could dip as low as -18C Friday night, according to Environment Canada. Friday’s high will be about -5C as flurries continue throughout the day.

Things won't warm up on the weekend. There’s a chance of flurries on Saturday as well, with a high of -9C and a low of -18C predicted.

Sunday should be sunny, but the temperature is expected to stay steady at around -16C. An alert is called when Environment Canada predicts temperatures below -15C without wind chill. Alerts are issued to step up support services for homeless people and to try to get people in out of the cold.

The alert has been issued until further notice.

--Carys Mills, Staff Reporter