A severe winter storm is making travel hazardous across Toronto and the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area on Thursday, with heavy snow and icy conditions leading to over 400 collisions, about 125 vehicles sliding into ditches, stranded transport trucks, and several highway closures.
Police noted that most of the collisions occurred after snowfall intensified, as much of southern Ontario remains under a snowfall warning. Toronto police and Ontario Provincial Police are urging motorists to avoid driving unless necessary, warning that poor visibility and slick roads are causing rapidly worsening conditions.
One of the earliest major disruptions occurred around 5 a.m., when a jack-knifed tractor-trailer forced the closure of the westbound Highway 401 collector ramp at Kennedy Road in Scarborough. That ramp reopened shortly after 8:30 a.m.
The Don Valley Parkway, which was shut down in both directions for much of the morning, has since reopened after crews dealt with multiple minor crashes, black ice, and snow removal operations.
Further west, OPP report closures at the Highway 403 and Highway 6 interchange near the Hamilton–Burlington boundary. Police say transport trucks are unable to make it up Clappison Hill due to snow-covered roads, leaving the area blocked. Snowplows are responding, but drivers are being advised to stay clear as conditions remain dangerous.