Ice, snow make for travel woes to end the work week in Ontario
Many Ontarians woke up on Friday to slippery roads from overnight freezing rain and snow.
Many may have woken up to some tricky travel conditions Friday morning due to an overnight system pushing a wintry mix of precipitation across southern and central Ontario, as well as up into the eastern portion of the province.
The Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) saw over six hours of freezing rain late Thursday night and into the early hours of Friday morning, while further north along Highway 401 in eastern Ontario saw ice pellets.
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The overnight freezing rain prompted several Ontario school districts to cancel buses. There are also some flight delays and cancellations reported out of Toronto Pearson Airport early Friday morning, which could possibly be due to the icy conditions.
Those in the snowbelt region and cottage country, as well as the nickel belt region, saw snow accumulation instead of the icy mixture further south.
The system will quickly move out of the GTHA Friday morning, being expected to depart the area by 9 a.m., EST. This will still make for a slippery commute for residents and travellers in the morning, however, so caution is advised when travelling.
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) issued freezing rain warnings and weather advisories for in and around the Ottawa and Kingston areas early Friday morning. “Watch for taillights ahead and maintain a safe following distance,” ECCC advises, “Take extra care when walking or driving in affected areas.”
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Up north towards Ottawa, people will see a quick change from ice pellets to snow Friday morning before the system moves into southern Quebec around noon.
Going into Friday afternoon and the weekend, those in the province will see a mix of sun and cloud, with more cloudy conditions moving in on Sunday. Temperatures will hover slightly below seasonal Friday afternoon, with brisk wind gusts making it feel even colder, before warming up above the freezing level on Saturday in time for the start of the weekend.
A more active weather pattern is expected to move into the province next week.
For more weather updates and information in Ontario, keep checking back to The Weather Network.