Freezing rain and snow descended on parts of southern Ontario Saturday, wreaking havoc on GTA roads as police reported hundreds of collisions.
Freezing-rain warnings were issued as a messy mix of snow and freezing rain hit various municipalities, including Toronto, Pickering, Hamilton and Barrie.
Toronto-area Ontario Provincial Police sent out a Tweet around 2:00 p.m. that said they were dealing with more than 200 weather-related collisions. By 4 p.m., the number had reached 300, and OPP were warning motorists to slow down.
Over 300 collisions on OPP GTA Hwys so far today. As the snow changes to freezing rain, be even more aware of the road conditions. Slow Down
— Ontario Prov Police (@OPP_GTATraffic) January 3, 2015
Both of the major airports in the Toronto-area reported numerous delays and cancellations due to the weather. Pearson International Airport suggested travellers check their flight statuses online.
GO Transit reported delays of 20 to 40 minutes on many of its bus routes.
The TTC, however, reported that it was experiencing few delays.
Freezing rain warnings
Environment Canada issued freezing rain warnings for all parts of the GTA Saturday afternoon.
The warnings remained in place for much of the GTA into the evening. The exception was Toronto, where the warning was lifted after the temperature rose above 0 C into the supper hour.
Freezing rain warnings are issued whenever rain is falling in sub-zero temperatures, potentially creating icy surfaces, according to Environment Canada. It warns people in affected areas to adjust their driving to changing road conditions.
Although road conditions are expected to improve overnight, things could get deteriorate again when the temperature drops.
Geoff Coulson, an Environment Canada meteorologist, says icy roads “are probably going to be a concern any time from late Sunday night to early Monday morning.”
Cold weather coming
Shortly after the freezing rain warning ended in Toronto, Environment Canada issued a special weather statement warning of cold temperatures on the way.
“A frigid Arctic airmass will arrive Sunday night plunging Southern Ontario into a deep freeze for the upcoming work week,” the agency said. “Extreme cold warnings will likely be required at times during the week due to the combination of cold temperatures and brisk winds.”
Temperatures are expected to reach –19 C overnight on Wednesday, according to the latest forecast.
