Mississauga declares ‘significant weather event’ as heavy snow moves in

Mississauga has declared a significant weather event for Friday as heavy snow moves into the city, affecting the snow-clearing schedule.

An announcement was made by the city’s snow operations account, Mississauga Snow, on X (formerly Twitter), and took effect at 11 a.m., in response to a snowfall warning issued by Environment Canada.

Under normal conditions, the city aims to clear roads within 36 hours, depending on snow accumulations. However, during a significant weather event, those timelines are paused and reset once snowfall ends, allowing crews to focus on keeping key routes safe while conditions remain hazardous.

According to information posted on mississauga.ca, snow-clearing operations follow a priority route system. Priority roads include major streets used by emergency vehicles, transit routes and high-traffic corridors, as well as some residential streets. Priority is given to sidewalks, bus stops, crossings, and roadside multi-use trails, while most residential streets and sidewalks are cleared later once priority areas are completed.

The city notes that Peel Region is responsible for clearing snow on regional roads, which include:

• Airport Road
• Dixie Road
• Derry Road East and West
• Erin Mills Parkway/North Sheridan Way
• Mississauga Road/Turner Valley Road
• and portions of Britannia Road West

The City of Mississauga also assists with snow clearing on select regional roads including:

• Queensway
• Cawthra Road
• Winston Churchill Boulevard south of Dundas Street

Mississauga.ca also highlights updates to its residential driveway windrow clearing program, introduced for this winter season.

A windrow is the pile of snow left at the end of a driveway after a snowplow passes. For residential homes, the city clears a portion of that snow at the end of single, double and shared driveways once roads have been fully plowed. The service does not apply to condominiums, commercial properties or homes on private roads.

The windrow clearing timelines begin only after a street has been plowed for the final time. For snowfall amounts between five and 15 centimetres, driveway openings are typically cleared within four hours, while snowfall totals of 15 to 30 centimetres may take up to six hours. Windrows are not cleared for snowfall amounts of less than five centimetres. Openings are made at least three metres wide, but are not cleared to bare pavement or treated with salt.

Environment Canada says snowfall amounts will vary across the region. Toronto and areas east of the city, including Durham Region, are forecast to receive between eight and 12 centimetres of snow, while areas west of Toronto, including Mississauga, Halton, Brampton and Hamilton, are expected to see between 5 and 10 centimetres.

A live map tracking snow plows and salting operations currently on city roads has also been shared online, allowing residents to monitor progress in their neighbourhoods.

In addition, Environment Canada warns that roads and walkways will likely be difficult to navigate due to accumulating snow, and visibility may be reduced at times. Residents heading outdoors or travelling are advised to consider delaying non-essential trips and use caution as conditions evolve throughout the day.