Southern Ontario drizzle sparks 'flashover' phenom
Meteorologist
Thursday, March 20, 2014, 7:32 PM -
A recent photo by storm chaser Tom Stefanac has been making the rounds on Twitter.
His image features an electrical transformer on fire in the Vaughan area. It's one of many that burst into flames Wednesday evening in southern Ontario.
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Another problem has been blackouts across the #GTA due to airborne salt residue on utility poles https://t.co/hNt9QygaCs @PowerStreamNews
— Tom Stef (@vaughanweather) March 20, 2014
So, what happened?
Well, for starters, Wednesday brought messy weather to southern Ontario.
A combination of drizzle in the atmosphere and salt spray left over from previous snowstorms coated some transformers, sparking electrical fires.
Numerous outages were reported across the region, from St. Catharines, to Hamilton and through the GTA.
At one point, more than 20,000 people were without power in Toronto alone -- but by Thursday evening, service had been restored to most customers.
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ANOTHER STORM TARGETS THIS PROVINCE THIS WEEKEND
Some residents were hoping Wednesday would represent winter's last hurrah, but we've got news for you: The wintry weather isn't prepared to let up anytime soon.
In fact, forecasters are keeping an eye on the next storm that's targeting the region.
A messy mix is on track for the Greater Toronto Area late Friday evening into Saturday.
Part of the GTA could see up to 15 cm of snow, in addition to some freezing rain.