Markham spent Monday digging out from a storm that set a single-day snowfall record for the Toronto area, closed every public and Catholic school in York Region and kept city plows running well into the night.
The City of Markham moved early. On Friday, Jan. 23, it declared a significant weather event in response to a yellow winter storm watch from Environment Canada, effective immediately and until further notice, and advised residents to cancel any non-essential travel.
A rare orange warning
Shortly after 5 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 25, Environment Canada raised the alert for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area to an orange winter storm warning, a level the agency rarely uses. Forecasters called for up to 60 centimetres in parts of the region, with snow falling at five to 10 centimetres an hour at its peak, gusts up to 50 km/h and wind chills near minus 20. The agency warned that blowing snow could cut visibility to near zero without notice.
Highway crews and drivers struggled through the day. The eastbound transfer ramp from Highway 407 to Highway 404 in Markham was fully closed for a time after a tractor-trailer jackknifed; it reopened by about 12:50 p.m. Across the GTHA, Ontario Provincial Police reported about 150 collisions and 125 vehicles in ditches or stuck in snowbanks over a 24-hour period.
Schools closed, exams moved
On Sunday, both York Region boards called off Monday classes. The York Region District School Board said all schools and board locations would be closed to students. The York Catholic District School Board closed all of its schools and moved Monday's secondary exams to Thursday, while exams set for Tuesday and Wednesday went ahead as scheduled.
A storm for the record books
Toronto Pearson International Airport recorded 46 centimetres on Jan. 25, its snowiest day since records began in 1937. The previous single-day mark was 36.8 centimetres, set on Jan. 23, 1966. Downtown Toronto received roughly 56 centimetres. The storm also pushed Pearson's January total to 88.2 centimetres, making it the snowiest January and the snowiest month on record at the airport.
Forecasters said lake-enhanced snow made the totals heaviest closer to Lake Ontario, where snow at one point piled up at eight or nine centimetres an hour.
Overnight plowing
On Monday afternoon, Mayor Frank Scarpitti said snow removal in Markham would continue into the early hours of Tuesday, with the city expecting to have all local roads cleared by about 2 a.m. He urged residents to keep their vehicles off city streets so plows could get through.
It was Markham's second major storm in less than two weeks. On Jan. 15, the city declared a significant weather event after Environment Canada issued an orange snowfall warning. Winter maintenance updates are posted at markham.ca/winter and on the city's social media channels.
