News / Travel Advisories

Toronto Pearson snowfall breaks 59-year record as flight disruptions continue

Jessica Huras

01-26-2026 10:00 am

Jessica Huras

Jessica Huras is a writer and editor with over a decade of experience creating travel and food content. In addition to writing for PAX, she’s a content editor for LCBO Food & Drink magazine and her work has also appeared in the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail, Toronto Life, Chatelaine and Elle Canada.

A record-breaking snowfall at Toronto Pearson airport (YYZ) on Sunday (Jan. 25) continues to affect flight operations Monday as airlines worked to restore normal schedules.

Pearson logged 46 centimetres of snow on Sunday, surpassing the previous single-day record of 36.8 centimetres set on Jan. 23, 1966, according to CP24.

As of 10:00 a.m. Monday, over 600 Pearson flights had been cancelled, according to FlightAware data.

"Flight schedules may change throughout the day as airlines work to restore normal operations following yesterday's delays and cancellations," the airport said in a social media post.

"Flights to and from Atlantic Canada and certain parts of the U.S. may be impacted today as the system moves through the region."

Pearson advised travellers to check flight status before heading to the airport and to build in extra time, whether driving or taking the UP Express, which is running every 30 minutes.

Billy Bishop Airport (YTZ) also continued to experience disruptions Monday. As of 10:00 a.m., 53 flights were cancelled, based on FlightAware data.

The airport remained open as crews worked to clear the airfield but noted that "numerous" Air Canada and Porter flights were cancelled due to Sunday's weather.

Travellers were urged to confirm flight status and review rebooking options directly with their airline.

Environment Canada forecast flurries to linger through Monday, with intermittent snow expected until approximately 3 p.m. and a chance of more into the evening before conditions ease around 9 p.m.

Cirium data as of 9 a.m. ET Monday showed Halifax with the highest cancellation rate at 64.58 per cent, followed by Toronto at 31.60 per cent and Ottawa at 24.39 per cent.

Airport	Date	Scheduled Flights	Cancelled	Cancel %
(YYZ) Toronto Pearson International Airport	2026-01-26	462	146	31.60%
(YVR) Vancouver International Airport	2026-01-26	296	7	2.36%
(YUL) Montreal-Trudeau International Airport	2026-01-26	224	42	18.75%
(YYC) Calgary International Airport	2026-01-26	198	15	7.58%
(YEG) Edmonton International Airport	2026-01-26	87	10	11.49%
(YOW) Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport	2026-01-26	82	20	24.39%
(YWG) Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson Intl Airport	2026-01-26	54	4	7.41%
(YLW) Kelowna International Airport	2026-01-26	49	4	8.16%
(YHZ) Halifax Stanfield International Airport	2026-01-26	48	31	64.58%
(YTZ) Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport	2026-01-26	47	9	19.15%
(YQB) Quebec City Jean Lesage International Airport	2026-01-26	43	6	13.95%

COVID-level cancellations

In the United States, the same system contributed to travel impacts across multiple airports.

Airlines cancelled more than 11,000 U.S. flights for Sunday, according to FlightAware. It's reportedly the most for a single day since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and almost triple the number of U.S. flights that were cancelled for Saturday.

By early Monday, more than 4,000 flights to, from or within the United States were cancelled and over 8,000 were delayed, according to FlightAware, with Boston, New York and Washington airports among the hardest hit.

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