Toronto residents face mixed bag of slush, rain and fog

CTV Barrie: Big thaw causes some problems We’re in the middle of some mild weather, and as Katherine Ward finds out, the warmer weather is causing a few problems.

Toronto residents were forced to deal with a mixed bag of weather on Saturday, as a thick layer of fog blanketed the city and warm temperatures and rain made streets a slushy mess. Many people were forced outside their homes to make sure melting snow had a clear path to sewers and catch basins, as officials issued a flood warning for the region.

Environment Canada said Toronto was expected to get hit with 10 to 25 millimetres of rain on Saturday, while temperatures reached 7 C by the afternoon.

The Toronto Region Conservation Authority, which issued a flood statement on Saturday morning, said that melting snow and rain would result in higher than normal water levels, as well as possible ice break-up in rivers and streams. The TRCA warned of the possibility of flooding on roadways and in low lying areas, and also advised people to stay away from bodies of water.

The City of Toronto told residents Saturday they could help by clearing snow around catch basins to prevent flooding on roadways.

Thomas Comerford was doing just that on Saturday afternoon in front of his Toronto home, using an ice chopper to remove built-up snow and ice.

“I just retired two weeks ago and I’m looking for things to do,” he told CTV Toronto’s John Musselman as he chuckled.

On Comerford’s street, like many others in the GTA, large puddles had already begun to accumulate on the ground, some the size of small swimming pools.

Environment Canada said there was a 30 per cent chance of rain overnight, with temperatures dipping to 0 C.

While slush was making it hard to walk down the street, a layer of fog that covered the city for most of the day slowed down roads. Motorists had to be extremely cautious as it was often hard to make out pedestrians.

On one street in Scarborough, residents were dealing with ice that seemingly refused to melt. At least a dozen drivers, making their way down a hill, lost control of their cars and slide into snowbanks and ditches

“I didn’t know it was so slippery, and we were sliding,” said Farhat Khan, who lost control of his vehicle on Meadowcliffe drive near Kingston Road. “So to keep me in a safe place I just turned right, and that is why I went into the ditch.”

A road crew eventually spread salt on the road and tow trucks arrived to pull out stranded drivers.

Environment Canada said Sunday would see a mix of sun and clouds with the temperature reaching a high of 2 C.