On Wednesday morning, many people in our area woke up to icy conditions, following the weather alerts issued by Environment Canada.
The worst of the freezing rain turned into a light drizzle by Wednesday evening, but more rain and even snow are expected this weekend.
The weather warning changed from “orange” to “yellow” earlier today since the freezing rain didn’t last as long as predicted and ice buildup was less than anticipated.
This doesn’t mean it was safe to be outside; roads became very slick due to the freezing rain.
“A certain percentage of that falling freezing rain accretes or adds on to these various things, like branches and roadways, and actually forms ice on them,” said Geoff Coulson, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.
This is why police issued further warnings for drivers to slow down and adjust their speed according to the conditions-slower than the posted limits.
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Sgt. Kerry Schmidt reported, “The OPP, since 5 o’clock this morning, we attended to about 160 collisions across the GTHA. We’ve got about 36-40 crashes on the go at this very moment.”
These hazardous outdoor conditions led Canada Post to issue a red delivery service alert for Waterdown-meaning no deliveries were made or staff sent out in that area.
In Spencer Smith Park in Burlington, wind gusts reaching around 50 km/h combined with the freezing rain made moving around quite risky.
WATCH MORE: What’s closed Feb. 18 amid freezing rain storm in Hamilton, Halton and Niagara
Environment Canada warns that with increasing ice accumulation on surfaces like railings and trees along with stronger winds makes it quite dangerous to move around or drive.
“Ice accretion is basically the amount of ice that’s forming on objects as the freezing rain falls,” said Coulson.
Branches were coated with an extra layer of ice while roads saw similar effects.
The Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) noted that drivers seemed to heed warnings and stayed off the roads.
“As of 1 p. m., our call volume was about 1,800 across our territory,” said Nadia Matos from CAA for South Central Ontario. “So for an average winter day, we can see anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000.”
They believe once this system passes through their calls will likely increase again.
They advise planning ahead and keeping all lights on in your vehicle so other drivers can see you better.
According to Environment Canada, there’s another system approaching that should arrive Friday with possible flurries over the weekend.
: Messy mix of snow and freezing rain to hit Ontario: Environment Canada
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