GTA digs out of layers of fresh snow following end to winter storm

A fierce winter storm has dumped heavy snow across southern Ontario and the GTA, where strong winds, thunder and lightning were also reported.

Environment Canada says between 22 and 30 centimetres of snow fell on the Greater Toronto Area as of 6 a.m. this morning. The snowfall prompted the City of Toronto to declare a "major snowstorm condition" in an effort to help clear snow off major roads, and has 

The federal weather agency lifted snowfall or winter storm warnings for several hard-hit regions early Saturday morning, and snow is expected to taper off by the afternoon.

Dozens of flights in and out of Toronto's Pearson International Airport were delayed or cancelled late Friday and early Saturday morning due to the weather, with airlines urging customers to check their flight status before leaving for airports in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.

The Greater Toronto Airports Authority says conditions at Pearson airport are improving, but the airport received a large amount of snow in a short period of time. Further flight delays and cancellations are still possible.

Snowfall and winter storm warnings remain in place for some parts of the province, including Ottawa, Kingston and other parts of eastern Ontario.

Both Toronto Hydro and Hydro One are reporting scattered outages affecting thousands of customers.

On Saturday morning, the city declared a "major snowstorm condition," which allows the city to temporarily prohibit parking on roads designated as snow routes for 72 hours to help staff remove snow left behind from its plows. 

Barbara Gray, general manager of transportation services with the city, said that it's necessary to deal with the large volume of snow that fell in a short period of time.

"I really want to thank everybody for their patience as our operations continue. It's going to take some time to complete," said Gray.

Residents should move their vehicles off snow routes by Monday, which is when snow removal operations are expected to start, Gray says, adding the city is focusing mostly on arterial roads with transit.

While the condition is meant to last three days, it can be cancelled or extended depending on how much snow needs to be removed. As of Saturday, the city says it will likely be extended.

Any vehicles left could be subject to being moved, getting towed and a fine, the city says. The full list of affected roads, which are mostly in the downtown core, can be found here. Additional info on the condition can be found here.

Gray says plowing and sidewalk clearing began overnight as snow continued to fall. Currently, clearing operations are underway and are focused on increasing mobility and accessibility, particularly for emergency services on roadways.