GTA remains under freezing rain warning

Although a freezing rain warning remains in effect for parts of southern Ontario, including Toronto, Friday’s morning commute in the GTA wasn’t as bad as predicted.

Part 1 of a storm system that threatened to bring a mix of snow, rain and freezing rain has so far only brought rain.

Environment Canada issued the freezing rain warning at around 3.30 p.m. on Thursday.

680News meteorologist Harold Hosein said rain, ice pellets and freezing rain are possible with as much as 10 centimetres of snow north of the city.

According to CityNews weather specialist Frank Ferragine, areas south of Highway 401 will receive rain.

Temperatures have been mild enough across the GTA, so some areas are just seeing rain mixed in with wet snow.

“This is round one. Round one — pretty easy,” Ferragine said. “Round two arrives this evening.”

Most Ontario schools are already closed due to a PA day, so there are no school bus cancellations to report. However, Brampton Christian School is closed due to the weather.

Fluctuations in temperatures will determine if we get a simple dusting of snow or a more dreaded dose of freezing rain.

CityNews meteorologist Natasha Ramsahai forecasts a bit of both.

“We are looking at a few centimetres of wet snow…followed by ice,” she said Thursday.

Freezing rain is expected to start again Friday evening, but will change to rain overnight for southwestern Ontario, Environment Canada said. Some areas could receive up to five millimetres of ice accumulation.

Motorists and pedestrians are being advised to take precautions as untreated surfaces may be icy and slippery.

A second and stronger system could bring a major ice storm to portions of southern Ontario late Saturday into Sunday morning.

The storm coincides with one of the busiest travel times at Pearson International Airport. Around 115,000 passengers are expected to pass through Pearson on Friday.

WestJet and Air Canada have issued travel advisories warning of potential delays and cancellations.

Toronto Hydro is also preparing for possible outages due to downed trees and power lines from ice.

Click here for the full weather forecast.

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