Toronto could soon be encased in ice from freezing rain after a brief heat spell

Sorry, Toronto, but it looks like that brief spell of springlike weather has left the city behind, and it’s about to get really messy in the 6ix.

Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a freezing rain warning for the City of Toronto just before 11 am Thursday, warning of ice accretion that could turn roads, highways, and sidewalks into dangerous sheets of ice this evening and into Friday morning.

ECCC warns of “a wintry mix of precipitation” arriving in the city Thursday evening, cautioning that the event is expected to begin as rain or ice pellets in some parts of Toronto before transitioning to a mix of freezing rain and ice pellets.

Luckily, thanks to the unseasonably warm weather system that has just left Toronto behind, the government weather agency says that “ice accretion may be limited during the onset as ground temperatures may be above zero.”

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Anyone out on the roads could still have to contend with a few millimetres of ice accretion, creating extremely dangerous conditions for commuters.

ECCC expects the freezing rain conditions to persist through the evening and overnight hours in some areas before tapering off to a freezing drizzle or light snow in time for the Friday morning rush hour commute.

Though roads are expected to be treacherous, Toronto is getting off light compared to areas north of the GTA, where The Weather Network predicts this same system will bring snowfall in the range of 5-10 cm.

Winter is making a come back in southern Ontario to end the week, with the threat for rain, ice and heavy snow in some areas.

Wintry precipitation could lead to some dicey travel for the Friday morning commute. #ONStorm #ONwx

— The Weather Network (@weathernetwork) February 16, 2023

Weather conditions will continue to see-saw as we enter the winter home stretch, with The Weather Network calling for above-seasonal temperatures to return for the rest of the weekend.

That warmth will only be displaced by much colder weather into next week that may “result in an active and unsettled pattern, with the potential for messy and potentially high impact wintry systems.”