A substantial blizzard and ice cold winds are causing challenging conditions across the GTA this morning. Toronto is under an Environment Canada winter storm warning and a city Extreme Cold Weather Alert. The temperature is hovering around -14, -23 with the wind chill.

Right now, Toronto Hydro is not reporting any major power outages. On the TTC, the 502 Downtowner and 503 Kingston Road streetcars have been replaced by buses and there may be longer than normal travel times on lines 1 and 2. The 95E York Mills, 190 Scarborough, 199 Finch, 53E Steeles East express buses are making local stops due to the snow.

The GO Transit website is down, but its Twitter account is reporting delays of around 20-45 minutes on its rail lines and numerous delays across its buses.

The snow is expected to taper off around midday, but blowing snow is expected to cause issues for much of the day. Environment Canada is warning against all non-essential travel. Highways and roads may become difficult to navigate due to blowing snow and visibility may be close to zero at times.

Residents are encouraged to check on vulnerable people who may experience difficulties related to the extreme cold and snow.

Here's a look at what the weather looks like across the city.

Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.

Image: Chris Bateman/blogTO