Yes, I think they use an odd measuring system - a nipher? - that does not report accurately when there is blowing snow/snow being blown around by the wind.
YYZ is the worst reporting station for snow. No way the city got just 9". No way. The two cars in our driveway are almost buried. The snow is up to my waist even away from the drifts.
It's not the worst storm in history, lol. The biggest one day snow event was in January 1965. The city received 16" out of the December 10-11, 1992 storm. Granted, you'd have to at least be 40 to remember the 1992 storm.
Some local mets are calling it a 1 in 100 year storm for Toronto, or at least a once in a generation. All the right factors have to come together to give us a snow event like this. Buffalo and Rochester can rely on lake enhancement, while Ottawa is just a snow magnet.
As usual, Pearson airport in Toronto is doing a horrible job with reporting snow totals. They're reporting 9" only, so far!? There is way more snow than that in Toronto, even without the drifts. A foot of snow has easily fallen.
The totals will be much higher with this storm, I think.
The only other times I experienced snow like this was when I lived in Ottawa: December 16, 2007 and March 2008.
Hoping everyone here gets crushed with snow. Hoping for at least 10" here in Toronto. With this storm, and then the arctic cold coming back for the next few weeks, this will be the best January since 2014. Still can't beat 1994 though!
Have to say the 18z Canadian looks great for Toronto and Buffalo. Has the snow starting by 11PM Sunday night in Buffalo, 1 AM Monday in Toronto and pretty much continuing until Monday afternoon.