Another blast of wintry weather is in store for Ottawa.
Environment Canada has issued a freezing rain warning for the city Wednesday. Two to five millimetres of ice accretion can be expected on some surfaces starting in the evening.
The system will start with snow and ice pellets Wednesday afternoon before transitioning to freezing rain in the evening. Environment Canada says this freezing rain event will not be nearly as severe as the ice storm over the weekend, but it could still lead to slippery surfaces, tree damage, and hazardous travel conditions.
Wednesday’s forecast calls for a high of -1 C in the afternoon and two to four centimetres of snow followed by freezing rain. The temperature should hold steady around -1 C overnight.
City of Ottawa roads manager Bryden Denyes told CTV Morning Live that crews are standing by for the coming system.
“When we’re looking at freezing rain, it’s always nice to have a bit of snow down before we have the freezing rain because it helps absorb some of that ice buildup and we don’t get that bonding to the pavement and the asphalt,” he said. “Really, the focus will be on monitoring and making sure we can get our resources out as soon as we start seeing those conditions where they become hazardous.”
Denyes said road crews will focus on clearing snow first and then transition from plowing to applying salt to icy roads once the freezing rain starts.
Thursday’s outlook is cloudy with 15 to 25 mm of rain expected. Any ice from Wednesday night’s freezing rain will quickly melt as the temperature is expected to reach 17 C by Thursday afternoon.
A special weather statement regarding the rain says the ground, already near saturation, has little ability to absorb further rainfall and localized flooding in low-lying areas is possible.
Denyes said road crews will also be monitoring the rain.
“Our main focus will be treating those icy conditions and then we’ll be transitioning to monitoring for any drainage issues, so where do we have water ponding, potential roadway flooding in certain areas,” he said.
Friday’s forecast is sunny with a high of 11 C.
The weekend is looking cloudy.
