Ontario hit with another messy storm as power outages linger

With some areas of the province still feeling the effects of a potent storm that resulted in widespread power outages, another wintry system is making its way to Ontario, and it will be messy once again.

As of Wednesday, much of the province was under weather warnings and watches, with a rainfall warning and special weather statement in place for Toronto. Areas such as Halton Hills-Milton, Kitchener, Barrie, Caledon and Guelph, among others, were under freezing rain warnings for the day.

Toronto and the GTA are bracing for heavy rainfall, raising concerns about localized flooding. Some areas could see up to 50 mm of rain, with a chance of strong thunderstorms developing in the southwest.

“Heavy downpours can cause flash floods and water pooling on roads,” Environment Canada said.

Meanwhile, colder regions to the north may experience significant snowfall through Thursday. Hazardous travel conditions are expected.

Communities still recovering from the weekend’s ice storm—including Barrie, Orillia, Peterborough, Bancroft, and Kingston—face another round of wintry weather. This next system will bring a swift burst of snowfall, with up to 5 cm forecasted.

Power utility Hydro One says crews have been working around the clock since the last storm blew through, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes.

Toronto’s weather timeline

Light snow is forecasted for the city on Wednesday at around 11 a.m. It’s expected to get heavier into the early afternoon before becoming more of a mixed precipitation along with ice pellets, followed by possible freezing rain.

“Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become icy, slippery and hazardous,” Environment Canada said.

Light to moderate rainfall is then forecasted for the evening hours before becoming heavy by midnight and into the overnight, with 4 mm of rain per hour between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. The wet weather will gradually taper off ahead of Thursday’s morning commute, paving the way for a mix of sun and clouds.

The messy round of weather will increase daytime temperatures for Thursday in Toronto. By tomorrow morning, it will have reached 12 C and is forecasted to rise to 17 C for the high. While Friday will be cooler, it’s shaping up to be a pleasant day to cap off the week, with mainly sunny skies and a daytime high of 10 C.

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