Toronto/Buffalo -- fly or drive in Feb?
 

My husband and I are going to Toronto the last weekend of February to see the stage production of The Lord of the Rings. The show is Sat. night, and we are leaving NJ Fri. morn. Flying to Buffalo is cheaper, but add a rental car and gas and it costs almost as much as flying to Tor. However, driving from Buf to Tor, we can visit some relatives.

My questions are: is Buffalo more likely to have flight delays and cancellations than Toronto (due to more lake-effect snow)? I've never flown in winter or been stuck at an airport due to cancellations, so I was wondering--if there's a snowstorm in NJ and flights out of Newark are cancelled Fri. morning, how long would it be before we get on another flight? I realize it depends on the length and severity of the storm, but would we be able to get on a flight by Sat. morning? Wouldn't most flights already be full with the original passengers so then how would we get on one? At that point would we be better off driving all the way to Toronto (leaving in the wee hours of Sat. morning)? Thanks for any input. -- Loretta

I'd suggest flying to Toronto instead of Buffalo. You're right about there being more snow in Buffalo than Toronto.

It's a long way to Toronto by car, and even further if there's been such a storm in New Jersey that the planes were cancelled. That leaves you leaving really early, in the aftereffects of the storm.

I live more or less next door to the theatre, and chat with show folk in the neighboring coffee shops. They are excited about the show.

And the neighboring restaurants want your business. Sales are down since the last show ended.

BAK

I agree, Buffalo usually gets hit harder than Toronto. But as for wondering how long you'd have to wait to get on a flight, maybe you could check on houw many scheduled flights there are to Bufflao vs Toronto.
If there are a lot of flights to Buffalo, you most likely won't have to wait too long.
I like flying into Buffalo. It's a much smaller airport and so much easier ( and less stressful) . Another advantage is that you won't have to go through immigration at Buffalo airport, but you do if you fly to Toronto, and that can take time.
If it were me , I'd take my chances and fly to Buffalo. Less hassle, less time at the airport, and then you could visit your relatives too.
And if you do land in Buffalo in bad weather, you may not have to drive very far to get out of it. Quite often they have bad storms that we don't get at all .

Good luck.

I agree, Buffalo usually gets hit harder than Toronto. But as for wondering how long you'd have to wait to get on a flight, maybe you could check on how many scheduled flights there are to Bufflao vs Toronto.
If there are a lot of flights to Buffalo, you most likely won't have to wait too long.
I like flying into Buffalo. It's a much smaller airport and so much easier ( and less stressful) . Another advantage is that you won't have to go through immigration at Buffalo airport, but you do if you fly to Toronto, and that can take time.
If it were me , I'd take my chances and fly to Buffalo. Less hassle, less time at the airport, and then you could visit your relatives too.
And if you do land in Buffalo in bad weather, you may not have to drive very far to get out of it. Quite often they have bad storms that we don't get at all .

Good luck.

Fly into Toronto - then you just need to grab a taxi and be downtown in 45 minutes. The roads between Buffalo and Toronto can be nasty in winter.

cheers

Jerry [awaiting a snowstorm in Toronto....]

I disagree... the Lake effect snow that everyone is promising you does not occur after the Lakes are frozen in early to mid January... Temps can vary week to week, but they are the same in Buffalo as Toronto... the roads are extremely well maintained...

Buffalo airport is much more flyer friendly than TO and the cost of your transfer from Toronto airport to the theatre will cost you as much as a rental car from Buffalo... border customs will take you less time than airport customs... you will be driving along the Niagara Wine region if you want a beautiful lunch stop....

Have no Fear...don't let the Snow Monsters scare you... visit your relatives... there are a million of us living in the Buffalo region and two more from New Jersey won't mess up the weather... the chance of a late February storm is limited... C'mon up!

Up here in Toronto we get Buffalo television stations, and I'm betting that all winter long we're going to see lettrs crawuling across the bottom of the screen tellingus schools are closed throughout western New York because of the snow, businesses are closing early, etc., etc.

But maybe my half century of memories of these Buffalo newscasts is askew, and the snow closings were all before mid-January.

But it just seems silly to me to fly to an airport almost a hundred miles from your destination.

BAK

Brian...I think you're missing the point that they can visit relatives along the way... it seems silly to be so close to family and NOT see them because you are afraid of some phantom storm scare... I can get to Toronto from my home near Buffalo in about 70 minutes... It might take them that long to get through customs at the airport!!!

Hundreds of flights into and out of Toronto cancelled last night.

You can't win.

BAK

Just thought I would add this - more proof that you can't predict or win when it comes to traveling in winter. Years ago when we lived in Oakville we were going to L.A. for Christmas. We were to fly T.O. to Chicago and change planes there. We had a last minute call from the airlines saying Toronto airport was closed and get to Buffalo where our Chicago flight originated and we could leave from there. We drove through blinding snow to Buffalo and boarded our plane there - no problems. (That's why we live in Victoria now - NO SNOW)

We get lake effect snow ALL winter in Rochester. Probably because the lake really NEVER freezes over.

If it were me, I'd just fly into Toronto. That way you miss the annoying border crossing too.

We live an hour from Toronto and half hour from Buffalo. Toronto being a larger airport is better prepared for snow etc. in the wintertime and rarely closes where Buffalo may close or have delays more often because they don't have the equipment to handle the weather.

I find it hard to believe that Buffalo, of all places, would have inferior snow removal equipment...

Helpfullhelen... Buffalo airport was selected as the top airport for snow removal in the entire United States for the last 6 years!!!... the reason Buffalo may occasionally close is because of the Lake Snows that are mentioned above... Chicago closes more often than Buffalo.... If Toronto is open more than Buffalo it is only because the airport is well north of the Lake snow bands... our friend from Rochester gets that snow from Lake Ontario.... Equipment has nothing to do with Toronto snow clearing!!!

I was at the Ontario Science Centre yesterday, learning more about snow and the lakes.

There are three-dmensional models of the whole Great Lakes area, extending not only above water level, but below.

In the models, there's no real depth, anywhere, to Lake Erie, but there are huge undewater depths in Lake Superior, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, and very deep pockets in Lake Ontario.

Looking at the models, it's easy to see why as the winter progresses, Lake Erie gets frozen. There's not a lot of water in Lake Erie, relative to its surface.

Over in Lake Ontario, the deep pockets are extensive, meaning there's a lot more water that needs to be cooled in order for the surface to freeze. And looking half-way down the lake, to where Rochester is, you can imagine the winds coming from the west, crossing the water of Lake Ontario, and dumping snow all season long in Rochester.

The same 3-D maps give you a good idea why the Lake Ontario side of the Niagara Peninsula is so much warmer in the winter than the rest of the provice, making it prime fruit growing land.

North of Toronto, there's another snow belt that starts around highway nine, which stretches fron Newmaket, more of less, west to Orangeville, more or less, and continues on to Lake Huron.

North of nine there's a lot more snow than south of it, meaning Toronto residents may see dead grass at home in Februry, but can get in their cars and go skiing forty miles north.

The only other part of Canada where I've noticed the same sharp line between climates is at Red Deer, half way from Calgary to Edmonton. Many a driver has proceeded safely north from Calgary on fine highways in the winter, and then slid off the road as the car started to move past the city.

BAK

Hi everyone. Following up with how our trip went last weekend. Flew to Buffalo no problem. Rented SUV, stopped at Niagara. Freezing and windy! Much different than in summer--no one there! Drive to Toronto was easy. A little bit of snow Fri night into Sat. morning, and then a little more Sat. night while we were in the show. We ate at Marcel's which is a block away and across the street from the theatre. It's a French bistro and was on the second floor over another restaurant. Great atmosphere, friendly people, good food.

The show was great. We really enjoyed it. I was impressed with how they pulled it off. A lot of the action, especially the battle scenes, had to be implied, and a lot was done with the lighting and the rotating stage that had sections on hydraulic lifts that were moved into many different configurations to simulate different types of terrain. Drive back to Buffalo was no problem either, and it was nice to see the relatives in Burlington. Our flight home was delayed 1-1/2 hrs. though--because of high winds at Newark! The flights were delayed in coming up so we had to wait for the planes to arrive. Nice weekend getaway--even in winter.

It's so nice when people check back! Thanks.