TORONTO - A giant snowstorm barrelling across southern Ontario left tragedy in its wake on Friday as at least three people died amid treacherous road and sidewalk conditions.
The massive weather system also grounded flights, totalled cars and shut down schools, foreshadowing a wild weekend for Atlantic provinces that are next in the storm's path.
The storm churned its way eastward throughout the day, painting Ontario white from Windsor through to Ottawa.
Environment Canada said most regions will find themselves under 15 to 25 centimetres of snow by day's end.
"The amounts do vary, but no one's been left out of the snow on this one," senior climatologist David Phillips said in a telephone interview. "I think it has followed through just as we thought."
The storm didn't take long to claim its first victim. Ian Wright of Hamilton Paramedic Services said an 80-year-old woman in that city collapsed while shovelling her driveway early in the morning. She was pronounced dead on the scene, he said.
The burst of snow caused numerous accidents on the province's roads, which accounted for at least two other deaths.
Durham regional police said a 49-year-old Oshawa, Ont., man was killed as a result of a multi-vehicle collision in Pickering, east of Toronto, on Friday morning.
Further east, Provincial police reported a 57-year-old Ottawa man died when his car crashed in blizzard conditions along Highway 401 near Prescott, Ont.
Also on Highway 401, a bus driver and some passengers suffered injuries the vehicle lost control and rolled near Brockville in eastern Ontario.
Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Kristine Rae said the driver of the bus received serious injuries, while she described the injuries to the passengers as minor.
Rae couldn't say if the weather caused the crash but said it was snowing at the time that the bus carrying 38 passengers went off the road.
Provincial police Sgt. Dave Woodford said treacherous driving conditions shut down stretches of highway from Chatham to Brockville throughout the day.
Much of the traffic-related trouble was centred in Toronto, he said, where more than 350 collisions had been reported since midnight.
"We're urging people to stay off the roads at this time so we can get the highways cleaned up," he said.
The spike in accidents came as little surprise to Woodford, since Torontonians have grown accustomed to nearly bare streets during four consecutive winters without significant snowfall.
Despite contending with the largest storm since December 2008, however, most appeared to be taking the weather in stride.
Bike courier Brendan Bar was undaunted by the prospect of stashing his vehicle in snowbanks as he made his rounds, nor by the idea of wheeling himself down streets that had not yet been plowed.
"It's not that bad," he said as he wiped ice crystals from his beard. "We do it all year long so we're used to it."
For construction worker Eddie Sobo, the snowy weather added extra incentive to maintain business as usual.
"It's not easy going but we have an office we have to keep salted up," he said as he struggled to push a wheelbarrow full of road salt through the snow.
Passengers flying out of Toronto's airport faced a raft of cancellations as Ontario's wintry weather and a massive storm dumping nearly a half-metre of snow on parts of the U.S. combined to scuttle flights.
Schools and universities were also feeling the effect of the storm.
In Toronto and the regions of York, Durham and Simcoe, all public and Catholic schools remained open but buses were cancelled. Schools were closed in Peel, Halton and Hamilton-Wentworth Regions. In the Ottawa area, schools were open but buses cancelled.
Classes were cancelled at several universities and colleges, including York and Ryerson Universities in Toronto, McMaster University in Hamilton, Brock University in St. Catharines and the University of Guelph.
Social media was abuzz over the snowy conditions, though gripes about the slew of cancellations were greatly outnumbered by gleeful comments about the return of winter.
Twitter users in Toronto documented inconveniently large snow drifts, impromptu snow sculptures and even pedestrians navigating snowy sidewalks on skis.
Others took time to offer advice to their fellow snowbound citizens.
"Stay off the roads! Hot cocoa and pyjamas will have to suffice," wrote one user.
Phillips said there are rewards in store for Ontarians who weather the storm. Friday's snowy conditions are forecast to give way to sunny skies for the weekend, giving people a chance to take advantage of the new precipitation.
"We're cursing it now, but we'll bless it tomorrow when we have that sunshine," Phillips said. "The beauty of it will be evident to us through Saturday and Sunday."
Ontario's storm is expected to pale in comparison to the one bearing down on the east coast, Phillips said. Quebec is expected to emerge comparatively unscathed, but parts of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland should brace for between 30 and 40 centimetres of snow and winds gusting up to 100 kilometres an hour, he said.
Atlantic Canadians can expect to start feeling the storm's effects by Saturday.
—With files from Peter Lozinski
Pedestrians cross a snow-covered street in Toronto on Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
The winter storm hitting Ontario might be an annoyance but the same storm is hitting the northeast U.S. much harder.
From our story:
The heaviest snowfall was expected Friday night and into Saturday. Wind gusts could reach 75 mph. Widespread power failures were feared, along with flooding in coastal areas still recovering from Superstorm Sandy in October.Boston could get 2 to 3 feet of snow, while New York City was expecting 10 to 14 inches. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said plows and 250,000 tons of salt were being put on standby. To the south, Philadelphia was looking at a possible 2 to 5 inches.
You can get more information on the storm in the U.S. on our live blog.
| @ CP24 : City of Hamilton has declared a snow emergency. Motorists are being advised not to park on snow routes to allow plows to get through |
| @ antonnorbert : @HuffPostCanada #snowday from Brampton. My son enjoying the snow outside. http://t.co/DlaHD8Ay |
| @ eekiboo : @HuffPostCanada Snow Plows to the rescue - Hurontario St, Mississauga. #GTA #snowday #snowstorm http://t.co/ZiNZmQb2 |
WATCH: Winter Storm 'Nemo' Brews Over U.S.
BODY: From NASA: "A massive winter storm is coming together as two low pressure systems are merging over the U.S. East Coast. An animation of satellite imagery from NOAA's GOES-13 satellite from Feb. 6 to Feb. 8 shows the two systems headed for a collision off the mid-Atlantic Coast."
Today's snowstorm has snarled air traffic all over Ontario, the Eastern seaboard and more. Read our full story.
| @ KatieSimpson24 : Downtown #Toronto ghost town! It NEVER snows this much. cp24 http://t.co/mdVSrU4m |
This probably will not work with your Jack Russell or your chihuahua.
| @ WSJcanada : Toronto's big winter storm isn't slowing everyone down, especially not on this west-end street: http://t.co/ElGZlcrJ |
Gawker points out that the U.S. Weather Channel and Weather.com have completely lost their minds over this blizzard hitting the northeast.
From their story:
"At the time of yesterday's site-wide freak, these were the six scrolling stories on Weather.com's homepage: "HISTORIC, EXTREME SNOW"; "YOU MUST PREPARE NOW"; "HOW MUCH WILL YOU GET"; "HISTORIC SNOW TOTALS"; FLOOD THREAT AHEAD"; "SNOW DROUGHT MAY END"
We at HuffPost Canada will remain calm and measured.
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| @ CP24 : As of 11 a.m., 18 centimetres of snow has fallen at Pearson airport, says CP24 meteorologist Bill Coulter. http://t.co/bSggZnRY #cp24snow |
NASA has released this photo of the blizzard currently hitting the northeast U.S. and southern Ontario. It's a big one! On the other hand, it looks awfully nice in Florida right now.
Working in your jammies, getting distracted by your cat, bottomless coffee?
| @ VIA_Rail : Storm Update: No cancellations at this time. Some minor delays. Info/Res 888-VIA-Rail. Check your train's status at https://t.co/MYfwe5fp |
| @ NPHallMonitor : Is that all you got, snow? http://t.co/Q3YNwJL4 |
Both the TDSB and TCDSB have cancelled school buses due to the storm. Schools remain open except at the Island Public/Natural Science school.
The Hamilton-Wentworth School District has cancelled classes for Friday.
The Ottawa-Carleton school board will keep classes open but is cancelling buses.
Many GTA area universities are closed today.
CLOSED:Ryerson
Centennial
University of Toronto - Scarborough
University of Toronto - Mississauga
Humber College
Seneca College
York University
OPEN:
University of Toronto (St. George Campus)
George Brown College
And we know you've got lots of questions.
When will this blasted weather go away?
Will it ruin my weekend plans?
Where are the best toboggan hills?
We'll update you throughout the day with weather and snow-related info.
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CP | By The Canadian Press Posted: 02/08/2013 8:15 am EST | Updated: 02/08/2013 7:13 pm EST