Freezing rain creates slippery roads in Ontario

Tuesday, December 1, 2015, 6:10 PM - Drivers and pedestrians are being urged to take extra care on Tuesday, as freezing rain could result in icy and slippery conditions.

Freezing rain warnings were issued for parts of eastern Ontario and regions near the Quebec border early Tuesday morning. It started in the Ottawa region around 11 a.m., continuing off-and-on through the day.

"The freezing rain will change over to plain rain later this evening as temperatures slowly rise above the freezing mark," Environment Canada says in a Tuesday warning. "It appears that amounts will not be overly significant as the freezing rain will be rather light in nature. However, untreated surfaces may still become slippery."

Only a couple millimetres of ice accretion is likely across eastern Ontario before changing over to a cold rain through the mid-afternoon hours. Greater amounts are possible in northwestern Quebec.

"La Tuque for example, could see the most accretion at several millimetres worth," says Weather Network meteorologist Tyler Hamilton. 

According to Environment Canada, freezing rain warnings are issued when rain falling in sub-zero temperatures creates ice build-up and icy surfaces.