Rainy night means messy commute for Toronto & GTA

A rainy night led to a messy commute for Toronto and the GTA on Friday, with slick roads north of the city and wet streets all around.

“The rain has been washing away the snow and revealing the ice underneath,” CityNews weather specialist Frank Ferragine said.

“It’s almost like a zamboni going over an ice rink! Be exceptionally careful.”

By the time the rain ends later Friday morning, 20 to 30 millimetres will have fallen on the city, with up to 40 millimetres possible in some areas.

Due to the rain and above-zero temperatures, a provincial flood watch is also in effect, the Ministry of Natural Resources said.

Rivers and streams could become more dangerous due to rising water levels. Residents are advised to clear their catch basins and to keep small children and pets away from fast-moving water.

Click here for City of Toronto information on how to guard against — and recover from — a flooded basement.

Royal York Road was flooded after massive rains on Feb. 21, 2014. CITYNEWS/Bert Dandy.

On Thursday, Environment Canada had issued a rainfall warning for Toronto and the GTA, including the Barrie and Orillia area. The warning was lifted at 9 a.m. on Friday.

Toronto, Hamilton, Halton, Peel, York and Durham are all under a special weather statement due to the wind. Environment Canada said strong and gusty southwesterly winds will hit Ontario later Friday and into the evening.

680News meteorologist Jill Taylor said there’s a high of 5 C in the forecast for Toronto and the GTA, but it will be windy with showers. There’s also a chance of flurries. By the evening, the low drops to near – 3 C.

Elsewhere in the province, there is freezing rain in the Ottawa Valley but the rain will end over southern Ontario on Friday morning, and early Friday afternoon over eastern Ontario.

“The precipitation will move off to the east early this morning. The showers may be at times heavy, but by about 8 o’clock just cloudy conditions and we’ll get into some clearing for the afternoon. There could be some flurries though in spots,” Taylor said.

Click here for the full forecast.

Click here for school bus cancellations and other closures.

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