Freezing rain prompts number of closures

Icy precipitation expected to continue for most of Thursday, slippery conditions expected

Freezing drizzle that forced a slew of Wednesday evening cancellations and closures is expected to continue — albeit lightly — through the day on Thursday.

A high of zero combined with a call for continued light precipitation could make digging out from the blast of ice and snow that hit the area late Wednesday more difficult.

The worst of the freezing rain accumulation was expected overnight, with Environment Canada warning Hamiltonians that we could wake up to a coating of ice between five and 15 millimetres.

“Extensive and widespread utility outages are likely,” warned the national weather agency. “Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots will become icy, slippery and extremely hazardous.”

The precipitation is expected to taper off through Thursday evening.

The Hamilton Conservation Authority (HCA) cautioned residents Tuesday that the storm is expected to surge along Hamilton’s Lake Ontario shoreline, possibly causing localized flooding and erosion Wednesday and Thursday.

Maximum wave heights of 2.3 metres are forecast, said the HCA.

The first foray of the storm on Wednesday forced a number of closure and cancellations, including schools and extracurricular activities at them. Hamilton’s libraries as well as all YMCA of HamiltonBurlington-Brantford locations closed early.

Programing at the YMCA centres is cancelled until Thursday at noon. An update is expected to come at that time.

It was unclear late Wednesday if the overnight ice would force the cancellation of school buses or other events and activities in Hamilton on Thursday. The public school board had posted to social media Wednesday night noting that a decision on school closures would be communicated to families by 6 a.m. on Thursday morning.

The Hamilton Conservation Authority cautioned residents Tuesday that the storm is expected to surge along Hamilton’s Lake Ontario shoreline