Environment Canada issues orange warning for freezing rain in Ottawa late Sunday

A storm is set to blow through Ottawa late this weekend and as CTV’s Natalie van Rooy reports, Environment Canada is advising against non-essential travel.

Environment Canada has issued an orange warning for the Ottawa area, notifying the public of significant freezing rain beginning late Sunday evening.

The statement was issued Saturday afternoon, warning of a long-lasting period of freezing rain beginning Sunday night and continuing until Monday afternoon. According to Environment Canada, an orange level warning denotes severe weather “likely to cause significant damage, disruption, or health impacts.”

David Phillips, senior climatologist at Environment Canada, says the storm will likely bring a mix of freezing rain, cold weather, ice pellets and high winds that could cause infrastructure damage.

“It’s not a little guy, it’s a dangerous concerning bout of weather between Christmas and New Year’s,” Phillips told CTV News.

Environment Canada says prolonged utility outages are likely and advises against non-essential travel. The forecaster predicts 15 to 20 mm of ice accretion which will make roads and walkways slippery and hazardous. Some routes are likely to be impassable, Environment Canada says.

While an orange level warning has been issued for Sunday evening, Phillips says the situation could change within the next day, for the better or the worse.

“There is some uncertainty as this is still over 24 hours away,” Phillips said. “It could be less of an impact or it could be worse as I describe it.”

Environment Canada first issued a special weather statement on the freezing rain early Saturday morning before upgrading to an orange warning in the afternoon.

Weather forecast

The warning is in effect for Sunday, but Saturday’s forecast predicts a milder day with a high of -9 C and a mix of sun and clouds. Saturday’s overnight low is -19 C.

Sunday will be mainly sunny during the day with a high of -8 C, though the freezing rainstorm is expected to arrive in the evening.

Monday’s high is -5 C, and the freezing rain will continue through the day and change to snow in the evening.

With files from CTV’s Natalie van Rooy.

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