Historic blizzard: 71 years since Toronto’s worst-ever snowstorm

Downtown Toronto is seen in the aftermath of the city's worst-ever snowstorm on Dec. 12, 1944. (City of Toronto Archives)

With temperatures hovering well above 0 C, Friday and Saturday will likely be remembered as two of the warmest mid-December days in recent history—a far cry from the freezing cold temperatures and massive snowfall that caught Torontonians by surprise 71 years ago today.

On Dec. 11 and 12, 1944, strong winds pounded the city and more than 57 centimetres of snow fell in 48 hours, according to Environment Canada.

A maximum of about 30 centimetres of snow had been forecasted for the two days, so the city found itself largely unprepared to deal with the record-breaking snowfall.

The blizzard quickly started to interfere with access to the necessities of the time.

Most of the traffic in the city came to a halt, disrupting the delivery fuel to large numbers of households. Many were left without a way to cook or heat their homes.

“Funerals were postponed, expectant mothers walked to hospitals, and there were no home deliveries of milk, ice or fuel,” Environment Canada said on its website. “Of major concern, factories producing war ammunitions had to close temporarily.”

Efforts to clear away snow were made even more difficult by the fact that many able-bodied men were away on military service.

In total, 21 people died in the two days of the storm—13 of them from exhaustion caused by trying to shovel the snow around their homes.

Winds were so strong that they knocked over a downtown streetcar, killing one person inside.

Schools and businesses remained closed for days after the storm until enough snow could be cleared away to make them accessible.

Images from City of Toronto Archives