Temperatures are expected to remain near the freezing mark resulting in precipitation falling as freezing rain or rain.
Mercury is expected to rise above freezing near midday Monday changing any remaining freezing rain to rain.
Ice accretion or build-up of 5 to 10 mm is possible.
Travel is expected to be poor into Monday.
Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become icy and slippery. Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions. Utility outages may occur.
Meanwhile, in Toronto, Hydro One is gearing up to respond to a significant ice storm, heavy snow and high winds threatening most of Ontario. Freezing rain is expected to continue into Monday.
Ice accumulation on lines or other electrical equipment along with nearby tree limbs may cause damage resulting in power outages. While damage assessors along with lines and forestry crews are getting ready to respond, Hydro One is advising customers to be prepared for the potential of an extended outage.
“We have been tracking the incoming storm and are getting crews and equipment ready in the areas anticipated to be hardest hit,” said Darlene Bradley, Acting Chief Operating Officer, Hydro One. “While our crews and customer service agents get ready to respond as quickly and safely as possible, we urge everyone to be prepared with an emergency kit and the tools to access the most up-to-date outage information.”
Based on Hydro One’s outage prediction tool, the company is getting crews ready to assess damage in order to restore power as quickly and safely as possible. An estimated time of restoration will be determined for each outage once damage has been assessed. Our outage tools will be up-dated every 10 minutes as information comes in from crews on-the-ground.
Household preparedness
An emergency preparedness kit should include:
- Water and food that won’t spoil for all family members, including pets
- A manual can opener
- Windup or battery-powered flashlight and radio
- Batteries and extended battery chargers
- Cash
- First aid kit and medical items
- Blankets
- Emergency numbers including Hydro One’s power outage hotline, 1-800-434-1235
- Fully charged cell-phone or have at least one corded phone at home; a cordless phone will not work in a power outage
Keep your emergency kit in a backpack and make sure everyone in your home knows where to find it.
Stay safe during a power outage
If the power system in your area is affected by bad weather, be sure to stay clear of any fallen power lines. If you spot a fallen line, keep at least 10 metres back, even if it does not appear to be live. Report it to the police and call Hydro One at 1-800-434-1235.
Tracking power outages
For outage information and updates, visit Hydro One’s outage map or download the free mobile app. Customers can also sign up in advance for text or email notifications. These free tools allow customers to check the status of power outages anywhere in Hydro One’s service area and receive helpful tips and news. Sign up at www.hydroone.com/outages.
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