TORONTO, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- A severe winter storm delivered hurricane-force winds to the Toronto area Wednesday, causing part of the city center to be cordoned off, police said.
Hours before rush hour began, police sealed off several blocks where wind was blowing debris from high-rise buildings and a construction crane was swinging freely, The Toronto Star reported.
Winds were more than 60 mph at the time but areas east of the city were reporting gusts of 82 mph, the Environment Canada agency said. In Whitby, the frame of a house under construction was blown down, the Star said.
Temperatures in the Greater Toronto Area were forecast to fall to minus 16 degrees Fahrenheit with wind chill factors of zero or below, forecasters said.
Environment Canada posted a variety of wind, wind chill, winter storm, freezing rain and flash freeze warnings across most of Ontario as blowing snow and wind closed numerous highways in the same Arctic system sweeping the northern United States.
