Wednesday’s ice wasn’t nice ... schools closed and drivers cursed
Thursday’s precipitation expected to be down to a drizzle
The freezing rain that closed schools and businesses in Hamilton and Burlington Wednesday is expected to taper off to a drizzle by Thursday morning and possibly even stop altogether.
Hamilton police are asking motorists to continue to use caution and drive according to the conditions.
And Environment Canada meteorologist David Rodgers says that, depending on how temperatures settle Thursday, whatever drizzle there is could be “freezing drizzle.”
“It looks like it will be on and off drizzle into the afternoon,” said Rodgers, “and the drizzle could still be freezing.” So caution on the roads, and elsewhere, is still the watchword.
He said the temperatures Thursday should hover around the plus 2 but possibly leap up to plus 7 in the evening.
“But that will be short-lived,” he added. “They’re expected to drop back down to a little below zero by Friday morning.”
He said the total rain/ice buildup in southwestern Ontario from Wednesday’s drop is from two to five millimetres but he had reports that one part of Hamilton Mountain saw accumulations of 1.5 centimetres.
As the police advised caution, it seems drivers must have been listening as there were few crashes reported to Hamilton’s collision centres during the worst conditions Wednesday morning, said
Const. Jerome Stewart.
Stewart said the first couple of months of winter tend to be the worst as people have not adjusted to winter driving conditions. Perhaps they “get it” now — drive slowly and leave lots of room between vehicles, he said.
People may also be taking advantage of options like working from home or taking the day off when the weather is bad, which means fewer vehicles on the road to get into collisions, he said.
“We find now that a lot more people don’t travel on the roads when we’re in extreme conditions such as this,” Stewart noted.
Sgt. Kerry Schmidt of OPP’s Highway Safety Division said there were about a dozen crashes on the go Wednesday.
Motorists were taking “visual cues” and driving slowly, which meant not too many vehicles were sliding off the road, he said in a video posted to Twitter.
“You’re going to (need) a lot of patience and awareness of what you’re driving into,” he said.
Alectra Utilities reported a weatherrelated power outage in the area of Lottridge Street and Kensington Avenue North, from Cannon Street East to Industrial Drive. Initially, the outage affected 417 homes and businesses, but that number was reduced to 160 by early afternoon yesterday and power was expected to be restored by late afternoon yesterday..
Environment Canada is also warning that ice buildup could cause tree branches to break.
By midday Wednesday, Hamilton had seen about seven millimetres of precipitation, said Environment Canada metrologist Peter Kimbell.
He expected another five millimetres would fall throughout the day, bringing the total to somewhere in the 10- to 15millimetre
mark.
The weather has also raised flooding concerns, and the Hamilton Conservation Authority (HCA) has extended the current Flood Watch.
Though there are no reports about significant flooding, flows and water levels remain elevated in many area watercourses, as a result of the recent snowmelt.
HCA cautions that increases in water levels and flows in the area watercourses may occur, as a result of Wednesday’s freezing rain and the rain being forecast for Thursday. Given the uncertainty in the corresponding watershed runoff response, HCA staff continue to reassess this potential regularly. Significant watercourse flooding is not expected at this time.
HCA is reminding residents to use caution near all water bodies and structures such as bridges, culverts and dams.
Freezing rain conditions, unsafe ice, elevated water levels, faster moving water, rapidly changing levels and flows, and slippery banks can pose hazards. Adults are advised to keep children and pets away from water bodies while the alert remains in effect.
There is also potential for drainage issues in low-lying or poorly drained area, according to the HCA.
According to local forecasts, the Hamilton area was expected to receive 10 to 25 mm of freezing rain Wednesday, and an additional 5 to 10 mm of rain anticipated for Thursday.
This Updated Flood Watch is in effect until Friday, when it will be updated — or cancelled.