1 day Ago By The Weather Network
Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses were still in the dark late Monday evening after a major weekend ice storm blasted a large swath of Ontario. Multiple states of emergency have been declared due to the damage and power outages, including the cities of Orillia, Peterborough, the District of Muskoka and the Township of Oro-Medonte. Hydro One reported more than 375,000 power outages by Monday morning.
"It’s all hands on deck as crews continue to work alongside our contractors to restore power to customers," Hydro One stated on their website Monday morning. "We anticipate it will take several days to restore all customers." Residents in affected areas are urged to stay clear of any fallen power lines, and to keep at least 10 metres back, even if it does not appear to be live, Hydro One officials warn.
PHOTOS: Ontario ice storm causes widespread damage, outages City officials had also urged residents to stay in their homes and avoid travelling on the roads while crews work to restore power and clean up the storm impacts. Minimal water use is encouraged to avoid back up on the sewer systems. Peterborough and Trenton endured more than 30 hours of freezing rain between Friday night and Sunday.
Folks around Ottawa saw more than 13 hours of freezing rain—and that arrived after a blanket of snow earlier in the storm. Blustery winds also entered the region on Monday, causing more damage to trees and power lines, according to the Ontario Provincial Police in a press release. Now, heading into the first week of April, we're looking at another icy system making its way to the province.
Fear not, however, because this system, in comparison to the weekend's, will seem more like an icy glaze than a full-on storm. Hardest hit regions in for another icy smack on Wednesday A Colorado low moving into the Great Lakes region on Wednesday will once again bring all the precipitation spring has to offer to Ontario. Luckily, this will be a much shorter-lived event than the ice storm over this past weekend—beginning Wednesday afternoon and moving out of the province by Thursday morning.
Cities and towns still cleaning up from the weekend's ice storm, such as Barrie, Orillia, Peterborough, Bancroft, and Kingston, will once again be the unlucky targets for this next icy blast. The silver lining will be the fact that this is a much faster-moving storm, only bringing 2-8 hours of freezing rain the region instead of the 20-35 hours over the weekend. The shorter duration will also limit ice accretion to 2-5 mm—still enough to make roadways and sidewalks dangerous, but not nearly as damaging as the 5-30 mm from the weekend.
DON'T MISS: Get to know the hidden gems across Canada Winds gusting to 50-70 km/h will also serve to limit ice accretion, but could also lead to an increase in localized power outages. Meanwhile, northwestern Ontario will stay on the colder side of the system, with the Thunder Bay area forecast to receive 5-15 cm of early April snow. To the south, we're looking at heavy rains and thunderstorms on Wednesday, with 30-50+ mm of rain on tap—rivalling some of April's wettest days in the region.
There is also a risk for some of the storms to reach severe criteria, with strong winds and downpours as the main threats. Be sure to check back for the latest weather updates across Ontario. WATCH: Beware falling branches and power line hazards as ice lingers Click here to view the video.
