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Since Wednesday’s storm — which, before Sunday, marked the most snowfall the city had seen since a storm in January 2022 — the city has experienced over half a metre of snow in less than a week.

“Please be patient as this is a lot of snow and pc28¹ÙÍøis a big city and clearing takes time,” wrote the city in posts on its various social media accounts, adding multiple rounds of plowing on streets and sidewalks had already been completed by Sunday night.

In an emailed statement to the Star, the city said it was “currently assessing the scale of snow removal that will be required,” and that more information on the scope of that operation will be shared Monday morning.

The city warned ahead of the weekend storm it would not start snow removal in earnest until Monday.

On Sunday, libraries, museums and the zoo shuttered their doors, flights were delayed and cancelled by the handful at pc28¹ÙÍøPearson International Airport and systems throughout the TTC experienced delays. The city shut down its 311 service, a phone number that allows residents to submit and track service requests for their neighbourhood amongst other things, instead advising residents to check PlowTO for information on when snowplows are expected to clear their street.

Of the few who decided to go out and brave the storm, many opted to walk down the middle of roads, which sat largely devoid of cars, instead of trudging through snow-covered sidewalks.

While Sunday’s storm itself is “nothing out of the ordinary,” according to Brad Rousseau, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, the ever growing mounds of snow on city streets are “well above normal” for February.

An arctic blast that is expected to bring extreme cold temperatures to pc28¹ÙÍøand southern Ontario on Tuesday, according to Environment Canada, won’t help with the city’s clean up efforts either.

“Not quite as severe as what we’ve seen in the past little few weeks, but still, certainly we’re looking at temperatures anywhere between five to eight degrees below seasonal for this time here … which means the snow is not going to go anywhere anytime soon,” Rousseau said.

According to , crews are mandated to start plowing roads by eight centimetres of snow, although expressways and arterials have a lower threshold. Sidewalks, bikeways and pedestrian crossovers, meanwhile, are cleared once two centimetres has accumulated.

The city also banned people from parking along snow routes to allow plows to move around easily, with those caught along a route facing a fine of $200 and a towed vehicle. (The city tweeted Sunday, “Once again, DO NOT park on snow routes,” after it had received reports of people parking on streetcar tracks, blocking TTC service and snowplows.)

On Sunday morning the Ontario Provincial Police Highway Safety Division warned drivers of the treacherous conditions on the GTA’s highways and that it “was a good day to stay home.” Later in the day the OPP said they responded to around 200 crashes and 150 vehicles stuck in the snow over the past 24 hours.

“Please take care and stay safe,” said OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt. “Snow may be over, but cleanup is far from done.”

Still, in lieu of a full-scale clean up operation over the weekend, people across pc28¹ÙÍøtook to social media, whether to ask others for help clearing the sidewalks and driveways in front of their homes or to volunteer themselves for shovelling. 

While some worried about the snow-clogged streets and sidewalks, others saw an opportunity to take advantage of the wintery wonderland right outside their front door. Torontonians were sledding, skiing and snowboarding throughout the day. 

The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), Art Gallery of Ontario and pc28¹ÙÍøZoo — all of which shut their doors early Sunday morning as the snow began to pile up — also said they would be open Monday. All pc28¹ÙÍøPublic Library branch locations and will remain closed, however.