Winter weather travel advisory lifted for Toronto

A line of snow plows clears the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto on Tuesday, Feb.12, 2019 after a winter storm hit the region. A huge winter storm is sweeping across Ontario and bringing everything from freezing rain to high winds with it. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

A winter weather travel advisory has been lifted for Toronto but messy conditions persist on Toronto roads this morning.

On Thursday morning, the national weather agency warned that motorists may experience poor visibility during the morning commute as heavy snow moves through the area.

“Snowfall accumulations of 2 to 5 cm are expected, though some melting is likely on paved surfaces. Visibility may be suddenly reduced at times in heavy snow,” the weather advisory read.

The advisory was lifted at around 10 a.m. but the city could see rain or flurries throughout the day.

A high of 4 C is in the forecast on Thursday.

The snow comes as Ontario voters head to the polls to vote in a snap election Thursday, the first winter election held in the province in more than 100 years.

Professor Emeritus John Shields in the Department of Politics & Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) previously told CP24 that weather could hamper voter turnout.

“It’s a bit of a trek trying to get through some of those sidewalks. What that means is that voters who are highly motivated are going to get to the polls,” Shields said. “Those who are not so motivated may give it a pass, especially if they don’t really have strong opinions on the leaders.”

The city has said that ensuring access to voting places “is a priority” as the city continues to clean up from two major storms this month.

“Staff are now inspecting the areas around Election Day voting places and prioritizing them for clean-up,” Shane Gerard, a senior communications coordinator at the City of Toronto, said in an email to CP24 earlier this week.

“To ensure this work is done as quickly as possible, the city will be utilizing all crews available - which includes in-house road maintenance crews, winter maintenance contractors and Parks & Recreation staff - and will continue to monitor these areas to ensure they remain accessible through the voting period.”

With files from CP24’s Joshua Freeman