A forecast of prolonged period of freezing rain on Wednesday could bring with it “significant” damage to trees and utilities, Environment Canada said.
The freezing rain is expected to begin overnight Tuesday or early Wednesday morning and last throughout the day,
a freezing rain warning issued by the department said
.
“Prolonged utility outages are likely. Significant damage to property, including some buildings and trees, is likely due to the weight of ice,” the weather agency warned.
Around 10 to 20 millimetres of ice is expected to build up during the day, the warning read, and the rain may fall heavily at times.
Environment Canada warned that roadways and walkways may become icy and slippery, which may impact rush hour traffic. The ice may also significantly damage property, including buildings and trees, and utility outages are likely.
“A series of low pressure systems will lead to significant freezing rain across parts of southern Ontario. Freezing rain may fall heavily at times. In this case, the precipitation may not freeze immediately, which may lead to localized flooding in low lying areas,” the warning read.
“Some areas across eastern Ontario closer to the St. Lawrence River may rise above the freezing mark Wednesday afternoon, which would lessen the amount of ice build up in these areas.”
The freezing rain warning was the first orange coloured alert since the federal agency implemented new colour-coded warnings last November. The warnings run from green to red in order of severity.
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