Toronto is beginning the lengthy process of digging itself out from the largest snowfall in the city’s history, even as parts of the United States remain paralyzed by a powerful winter storm and southern Australia faces record-breaking heat and escalating fire danger.
Some parts of Canada’s largest city were buried under nearly 60cm of snow, after more than 88.2cm fell at Toronto’s Pearson international airport this month, making it the snowiest January and snowiest month since records began in 1937. More than 500 flights were cancelled on Sunday after the airport was effectively snowed in.
The storm prompted several Toronto school boards to announce closures unusually early, while police reported more than 430 collisions in the city and another 200 in surrounding areas, including one fatality. Authorities warned that large roadside snowbanks could send vehicles airborne at “launch-type” angles. Downtown residential streets remained difficult to navigate, and the city’s transit system, which serves more than one million passengers a day, suffered multiple delays, derailments and partial shutdowns.
City officials said priority would be given to major roadways and that clearing residential streets and sidewalks would take several days, with crews shifting from plowing to snow removal. Despite the disruption, many residents embraced the conditions, skiing along quiet streets and taking advantage of the long weekend.
South of the border, the same system battered much of the United States with heavy snow and freezing rain. Nearly 19% of scheduled flights were cancelled by late Monday, with thousands more delayed. Aviation analytics firm Cirium recorded more than 11,000 cancellations on Sunday, the highest daily total since the pandemic.
Major hubs including Boston and the New York area were affected by snow, ice and low visibility, with Boston Logan International Airport seeing 71% of flights cancelled. American Airlines accounted for the largest share of disruptions, while airlines warned that cancellations had left aircraft and crews out of position. At least 18 deaths in the US have been linked to the storm, which AccuWeather said could become the costliest severe weather event since the Los Angeles-area wildfires in early 2025.
Extreme heat and fire danger grip southeastern Australia
While North America copes with winter conditions, southeastern Australia is facing the opposite extreme. Victoria braced for record-breaking heat on Tuesday, with temperatures forecast to reach 49C in the Mallee and Melbourne set for its hottest day since Black Saturday in 2009.
In the town of Ouyen, temperatures climbed to 48.7C by mid-afternoon, nearing the state record of 48.8C set in 2009. The area has recorded no rainfall in January and only 13.6mm in December, contributing to extreme fire danger ratings.
A statewide total fire ban was in place as six major blazes burned across Victoria, three of them out of control. Emergency services reported the loss of three properties, while a new fire at Larralea prompted emergency warnings and the deployment of 40 tankers. Authorities warned that worsening winds later in the day could drive fires further into the Otways.
Fire danger was also rated extreme across large parts of South Australia, with total fire bans declared in multiple districts. Officials urged residents to limit unnecessary travel and to check on vulnerable people amid the prolonged heatwave. Inland areas across Victoria and eastern South Australia were expected to approach 50C, levels described by meteorologists as extremely rare.
As Toronto shovels out from record snow, US airlines work to restore disrupted networks, and Australian emergency services confront heat and fire, the contrasting conditions underline how weather extremes are simultaneously testing infrastructure, public safety and daily life across the globe.
Read more via The Guardian/AP/ABC
