Freezing rain and slippery conditions expected Wednesday in Waterloo region and area
Freezing rain 'will not be nearly as significant as the ice storm from this past weekend,' statement says
People are being warned about freezing rain and slippery conditions, followed by significant rainfall, in Waterloo region, Guelph and Wellington County this week.
Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for the area saying freezing rain will begin Wednesday morning and stretch into Thursday.
The statement notes, however, that the freezing rain "will not be nearly as significant as the ice storm from this past weekend."
The freezing rain may also bring ice pellets and winds of up to 50 km/h. It means surfaces such as sidewalks and roads may become slippery and ice build-up on branches could cause them to break.
"As temperatures rise above the freezing mark, freezing rain will transition to rain over southwestern Ontario through Wednesday afternoon and across central and eastern Ontario Wednesday night," the statement says.
Up to 40 mm of rain is expected in some areas, but that could increase if thunderstorms develop, the statement says.
Environment Canada says the increase in rain could lead to some flooding. On Monday, the Grand River Conservation Authority issued a flood warning for West Montrose after rain over the weekend.
The authority says local water levels are expected to remain high throughout the week.
"River flows will remain elevated as runoff from rain and any remaining snow melt drains through the river system," the conservation authority said. The West Montrose flood warning remains in effect until Saturday at noon.
Along with the rain, temperatures are set to increase at the last part of the week. The Environment Canada forecast says:
- Wednesday will be rainy with a high of 2 C. Showers are expected through the evening and the temperature will rise to 6 C.
- Thursday will cloudy with a chance of rain and a high of 18 C.
- Friday, sunny with a high of 15 C.
- Saturday, cloudy with a chance of showers and high of 5 C.
Geoff Coulson, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, told CBC News the rollercoaster of weather is not unexpected at this time of year because early April is still "very much a transition month" between winter and spring.
He says early April has "the possibility of temperatures bouncing around, storm systems coming up from the American west and southwest bringing moisture with it with temperature flirting with the freezing mark. At this time of year, it's still quite possible to get snow, ice pellets or freezing rain."