Toronto, GTA under special weather statement ahead of intense freezing rain
Posted March 23, 2023 7:10 pm.
Last Updated March 25, 2023 7:16 am.
Freezing rain and snow in the spring? That’s what southern Ontario is bracing for this weekend.
A special weather statement has been issued in Toronto and the GTA ahead of what Environment Canada calls an active storm that will see freezing rain, strong winds and potential snow in some regions.
The special weather statement for the city is in place ahead of Saturday. Canada’s weather agency says precipitation will likely begin as a period of freezing rain or a brief period of snow, followed by a rapid transition to a period of freezing rain.
“The freezing rain may last for a few hours before transitioning to showers or rain Saturday afternoon,” Environment Canada notes in its alert. “A few millimetres of ice accretion will be possible before the transition to rain.”
In addition to the messy and mixed weather, Environment Canada is warning for extreme winds gusting up to 70 or 80 km/h expected Saturday afternoon into Saturday evening.
“The combination of strong winds and any ice build-up may lead to local power outages.”
Southern Ontario regions brace for strong winds, snow in areas
The weather statements and various weather warnings have been everchanging, with Halton-Peel, Dufferin-Innisfil, Waterloo-Wellington and Hamilton among the regions under a freezing rain warning.
In Halton-Peel, Environment Canada says Caledon could see ice accretion of up to 5 cm as a result of Saturday’s system.
Cottage country and areas, including Algonquin, Parry Sound-Muskoka and Brockville-Leeds-Grenville, should prepare for 5 to 10 cm of snow this weekend. Environment Canada says areas near Algonquin Park and the Ottawa River Valley may receive as much as 10 to 15 cm of new snowfall before the change to rain.
Concurrently, Simcoe-Delhi-Norfolk is under a wind warning, with Canada’s weather agency calling for gusts as high as 90 km/h.
The thick clouds will stick around in Toronto through Sunday with a forecasted high of 7 C. The long-range isn’t particularly dreamy, either, with rain and snow mixed on Monday and a high of 6 C.
