‘Potent spring ice storm’ in the forecast for Toronto, Environment Canada says

A pedestrian waits to cross the street towards Trinity Bellwoods Park in Toronto on Tuesday, February 12, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Tijana Martin (Tijana Martin/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

A “potent spring ice storm” is likely headed for Toronto later this week, Environment Canada says.

In a special weather statement issued Wednesday afternoon, the federal agency said up to 15 millimetres of “significant ice accretion from freezing rain” is possible starting late Friday, adding that it could even go past 20 millimetres in some areas.

The advisory notes this freezing rain could last until Monday, with the possibility for power outages and slick surfaces. Tree branches might also break from the ice build-up, Environment Canada says.

“The swath of maximum ice accretion is still uncertain at this point, but confidence is highest for areas of central and eastern Ontario between Parry Sound and Kingston,” the weather agency says, adding warnings will be issued as the storm breezes in.

CP24 Meteorologist Bill Coulter says Toronto will get a brief taste of spring before conditions deteriorate on Friday as sunshine and a high of 9 C is in the city’s forecast on Thursday.

“We get a really messy weekend staring Friday midday,” Coulter said Wednesday.

He noted that American models show freezing rain from Friday afternoon all the way through to midday Monday.

“The Canadian (model) has much bigger swings of temperature, changing the precipitation type,” he said.

“We go from freezing rain… but we could see a change over to rain on Saturday.”

Mixed precipitation and freezing rain is also possible on Sunday and Monday morning, Coulter said.

“Models are not aligning and if much warmer air is pulled into the region between systems, we could get showers instead,” he added.

“One model has the temperature stabilizing close to 0 C. Another has the temperature surging into the double digits.”

He noted that it is possible that there could be “dangerous driving conditions right through the weekend.”

“Finally, we get out it on Tuesday,” he said, noting the temperature will be “seasonably cool” at 4 C.