Another round of winter weather is moving into Ontario and Quebec, bringing significant snowfall and a sharp drop in temperatures over the next 48 hours.
Environment Canada says 10 to 20 cm of snow is possible for parts of southern Ontario between Wednesday evening and Thursday afternoon, while Quebec is also bracing for another dumping of snow as colder air settles in.
Here’s what residents can expect when it comes to snow clearing timelines across major cities in Ontario, the GTA and Montreal.
Toronto averages about 130 cm of snow per year, with most storms producing five to 10 cm.
Plowing begins on expressways when snow reaches 2.5 cm, on major roads and transit routes at five cm, and on residential streets at eight cm.
Main roads like the Don Valley Parkway, Gardiner Expressway, as well as arterial roads such as Eglinton Avenue, Yonge Street and Dufferin Street, are prioritized first.
Once snowfall ends, expressways are typically cleared within two hours, arterial roads within six hours, collector roads within eight hours and local roads within 14 hours.
Plowing of these roads begins at that 2.5 cm threshold, with the goal of clearing them to bare pavement within two hours after snowfall ends.
Sidewalk clearing begins at two cm of accumulation and can take between 24 and 48 hours, depending on storm severity and the number of clearing passes required.
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Salting starts as soon as snow begins accumulating, typically before 2.5 cm fall.
Meanwhile, Montreal clears streets in three priority levels, according to the City’s website.
Major thoroughfares, priority bus routes, school and hospital access are cleared first. Reserved lanes such as Blvd Pie-IX express bus service, and major shopping streets such as Sherbrooke, Lacordaire, Henri-Bourassa are cleared next.
Crews then clear collector streets including Bernard and Cadillac, followed by residential and industrial streets.
Plowing starts at 2.5 cm, and snow loading begins at 10 to 15 cm, continuing until streets are safe.
Montreal even offers a live snow removal map service, so you can track when roads are expected to be clear.
Salting begins as soon as surfaces are slippery.
Nestled between Montreal and Toronto, Ottawa also has a protocol in place for their snowplow operations.
Crews focus first on major routes used by emergency services and transit, followed by bus routes, sidewalks, the Transitway. After this, secondary and residential streets are cleared.
It can take between six and 24 hours after snow or ice stops to complete all plow routes, with the timeline resetting if snowfall resumes.
City-maintained sidewalks are cleared within 48 hours, with priority given to areas with high pedestrian traffic.
According to their website, it can take between six to 24 hours after snow or ice stops to complete all plow routes, with the timeline resetting if snowfall resumes.
City-maintained sidewalks are cleared within 48 hours, with priority given to areas with high pedestrian traffic.
In Oakville, primary roads such as Trafalgar Road and Upper Middle Road are plowed continuously during snowfall, with salting beginning as soon as snow accumulates and plowing starting at 2.5 cm.
Secondary roads, including routes like Glenashton Drive and West Oak Trails, are plowed once accumulation reaches five cm and typically cleared within 12 hours after snowfall ends.
Residential streets are plowed only after snow has stopped and accumulation reaches 7.5 cm, with clearing taking up to 24 hours.
In Brampton, the city’s goal is to keep streets safe and passable within 24 hours following the end of a snow event, or within 48 hours after a significant weather event is declared.
Busy arterial roads such as Hurontario Street and Torbram Road are serviced and plowed continuously to bare pavement.
Collector roads like Balmoral Drive and Bartley Bull Parkway are plowed during snow accumulation, while local roads and courts are cleared once snow reaches five cm.
In Waterloo, plowing begins once snowfall reaches levels set out in Ontario’s Minimum Maintenance Standards.
Crews start with major routes used by emergency services and transit, followed by residential streets once priority roads are safe.
Depending on the amount of snow, it can take between six and 24 hours after snow or ice stops to complete all plow routes, with timelines resetting if snowfall resumes.
City-maintained sidewalks are cleared within 48 hours, with snow reduced to eight cm or less and a one-metre-wide path maintained, starting with areas that see the highest pedestrian traffic.
–with files from Global News’ Gabby Rodriguez
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
