Toronto under special weather statement as freezing rain transitions to heavy snow

CP24’s Courtney Heels has the latest on the freezing rain warning that has prompted the several GTHA school boards to cancel buses.

A special weather statement has been issued for Toronto as freezing rain is expected to transition to heavy snow this evening.

Environment Canada says Toronto could see snowfall amounts of two to five centimetres in an hour, which could result in reduced visibility.

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“Roads and walkways will likely be difficult to navigate due to accumulating snow,” the weather advisory reads.

Earlier in the day, the city and the rest of the GTA were under a freezing rain yellow warning.

Freezing rain created slick road conditions on Tuesday that resulted in a messy afternoon commute. Several crashes were reported on highways and local roads.

“Freezing rain, which may be mixed with snow or ice pellets at times, is expected to change over to rain or snow as an area of low pressure moves through southern Ontario,” the yellow warning advisory read.

“Icy surfaces could be difficult to detect. Local utility outages are possible. There is risk of injury due to slips and falls,” the advisory continued.

Environment Canada meteorologist Steven Flisfeder said the freezing rain would be worse for the northern parts of the GTA.

“North of the 401 will be more challenging,” Flisfeder told CP24’s Courtney Heels on Tuesday morning.

He noted that while it is possible Toronto’s core could see some icy conditions, areas closer to Lake Ontario will likely see rain.

Ice accretion was expected to be between one and five millimetres, he added. Flisfeder said the risk of freezing rain should diminish later in the evening.

School boards across the GTHA cancelled buses in anticipation of the messy weather.

The City of Vaughan declared a “significant weather event,” which is enacted when the weather has the “potential to pose a significant danger to users of the highways within a municipality.”

“At this time it is anticipated that community centres and Vaughan Public Libraries locations will remain open and programming will run as scheduled. We will continue to monitor weather conditions and any future closures or program cancellations will be shared as information becomes available,” the municipality said in its advisory.

“Due to the forecasted conditions, it may take longer than usual to clear City roads, sidewalks and/or bicycle lanes. Staff will continue to monitor weather forecasts and make the necessary decisions and adjustments to operations.”