A special weather statement is in effect for the City of Toronto today as rain and strong winds are expected to last into the evening, according to Environment Canada, while freezing rain is possible in some places across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) this morning.
“A brief period of snow or freezing rain is possible this morning, but will quickly transition to rain as temperatures rise above zero this morning,” the agency said.
“In addition, strong winds gusting up to 70 or 80 km/h are also expected today into tonight. High winds may toss loss objects or cause small tree branches to break. Local utility outages are possible.”
The statement says the conditions are expected to continue into the evening.
The regions of York and Durham are also under a special weather statement, which warns of mixed precipitation and strong winds.
“Snow will spread across the region through the late morning into the early afternoon. The snow may become mixed ice pellets or freezing rain at times through today. Precipitation will transition over to rain late this afternoon,” the statement reads.
“In addition, strong winds gusting up to 70 or 80 km/h are expected this evening through tonight. High winds may toss loss objects or cause small tree branches to break. Local utility outages are possible.”
Elsewhere, the regions of Peel and Halton are under a freezing rain warning this morning.
“Freezing rain is forecast to begin this morning and will likely last for a few hours before transitioning over to rain this afternoon as temperatures rise above zero. A few millimetres of ice accretion will be possible,” Environment Canada says.
“Take extra care when walking or driving in affected areas. Ice build-up may cause tree branches to break. Utility outages may occur.”
The risk of freezing rain across the region is expected to decrease as the day goes on as temperatures rise above freezing.
The temperature in Toronto this morning is hovering in the low single-digits, but is expected to climb steadily, reaching a high of 8 C this evening.