Ice pellets and freezing rain are expected to begin overnight in Ottawa on Saturday, with wind up to 15 km/h.
After a blanketing of snow overnight, federal officials said they expect to issue a freezing rain warning as a spring storm rolls through Ottawa on Saturday.
According to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), the city received 11 centimetres of snow on Friday night.
Ottawa residents can expect around two centimetres of snow and wind gusts of up to 40 km/h throughout the day Saturday. There is a 40 per cent chance of snow during the day, the weather agency added.
Ice pellets and freezing rain are expected to begin overnight with wind up to 15 km/h.
The ECCC forecasts more ice pellets and freezing rain throughout Sunday with wind speeds of up to 15 km/h.
The weather is expected to taper off on Monday with rain during the day and 30 per cent chance of flurries overnight.
Gina Ressler, a warning preparedness meteorologist with ECCC, said the precipitation is due to a quasi-stationary front pushing cold air from the north and warm air from the south which is pushing precipitation across Ontario. Another storm called the Colorado Low is forming and tracking across southern Ontario on Sunday.
“On Sunday for Ottawa, we’re looking at about five to 10 millimetres of freezing rain accumulation,” Ressler told the Ottawa Citizen on Saturday.
Evening Update
“Right now, I know Ottawa has a special weather statement out. This might be updated later today to a freezing rain warning, so that it’s something to keep an eye on.”
Provincial police and other first responders remained on the scene Saturday morning after a fatal collision involving two tractor-trailers and a passenger vehicle on Highway 138, about 80 km from Ottawa, north of the town of Monkland.
The crash occurred at about 9:30 a.m.
No further information was available.
In a release, police said Hwy 138 will remain closed between Sand Road and McLean Road for an extended period while the investigation is conducted.
Across eastern Ontario, provincial police have responded to almost 70 collisions between midnight and 9 a.m., according to an OPP social media post on Saturday morning.
The northbound lanes of Highway 416 were also closed between Highway 401 and Country Road 421 south of Spencerville due to multiple collisions in the area. According to an OPP social media post, a northbound vehicle rolled into a ditch at around midnight. Another vehicle skidded out of the lane and struck the vehicle before entering the ditch, resulting in “several people injured.”
Four people were transported to the local trauma centre with serious injuries and at least four others were transported to hospital with minor injuries, police said.
“The weather conditions were poor at the time,” the OPP’s social media post said.
The area was closed for the OPP Technical Collision Team to complete their on-scene investigation.
“We continue to recommend postponing non-essential travel. If you must be on the roads – SLOW DOWN, leave extra time and distance and drive carefully,” the social media post continued to read.
