Dicey start to Ontario's holiday season as freezing rain makes for slick roads
Last-minute holiday shoppers in southern Ontario will want to take it slower than usual on the roads to get to their destinations on Saturday as a band of freezing rain will make for slippery driving through the afternoon.
Widespread freezing rain warnings, freezing drizzle advisories and special weather statements are in place. While significant ice accretion isn’t expected, enough freezing rain will fall to give the roads and untreated surfaces a slick feel.
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Take extra care when walking or driving in affected areas. Slow down driving in slippery conditions. Watch for taillights ahead and maintain a safe following distance.
Through Saturday: Messy mix makes for tricky travel
A weak system trekking across the Great Lakes will bring a grab bag of wintry precipitation to southern Ontario through Saturday.
Cold air lingering at the surface will allow precipitation to transition to freezing rain or ice pellets on Saturday morning.
There’s a risk of freezing rain north and east of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) throughout the first half of Saturday, before some milder air pushes in.
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The GTA will be mainly rain, but there is the chance for some areas to see some short-lived freezing rain early Saturday, and even some mixing after the freezing rain has ended.
Through the day, the precipitation will track east with Highway 401 seeing mainly rain, but a brief wintry mix is possible inland. Farther north is where mixed precipitation is possible, but you must head up to Bancroft to see only snow.
Folks across most of southern Ontario dreaming of a white Christmas may have to find their wintry scenes in movies and books instead.
It’ll be nearly impossible to hold onto the fresh snow in those locations for Christmas morning as temperatures will warm up on Sunday and remain above freezing. For millions of Canadians this year, a green Christmas it is!
Header image courtesy of Getty Images.
Be sure to check back for the latest weather updates across Ontario.