Freezing rain warning in effect with 2 to 5 mm of ice accretion expected starting Wednesday

A deck railing is covered in ice during a period of freezing rain. (Shelly Corlyon/CTV Viewer)

Another ice storm followed by significant rainfall is expected to move through Ottawa and eastern Ontario this week.

Environment Canada issued a freezing rain warning with 2 to 5 mm of ice accretion expected on some surfaces starting on Wednesday afternoon.

“This freezing rain event will not be nearly as significant as the ice storm from this past weekend,” Environment Canada says.

Snow and ice pellets are expected to advance northeastward on Wednesday afternoon and transition to freezing rain in the evening. Snowfall of up to 5 cm may occur in some areas before the freezing rain begins.

Easterly winds gusting near 50 km/h may worsen any tree damage, the national weather forecaster says.

“Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become icy and slippery. Ice build-up may cause tree branches to break.”

Environment Canada says to take extra care when walking or driving in affected areas.

“Anytime there’s freezing rain, that’s a concern for travellers. It makes for slippery conditions, so you don’t want to take it too lightly. That being said, no, we’re not seeing quite a storm so impactful as this previous one,” said meteorologist Trudy Kidd.

“The previous one saw a lot of power outages. That’s still a possibility, but the kind of ice buildup that we saw over the weekend, we are not expecting this time.”

Freezing rain is expected to transition to rain on Thursday morning. Significant rainfall is expected with total amounts of 20 to 40 mm. Higher amounts are possible in some areas with thunderstorms.

“Thursday morning, that’s when we’re expecting the rain. And it could still be slippery from the freezing rain overnight. So, another commute will be impacted and it’s best to avoid if possible,” said Kidd.

Tuesday’s overnight low is -11 C with a wind chill of -16 under a clear sky.

Wednesday will be sunny with increasing cloudiness then snow. High of -1 C with a wind chill of minus 13 in the morning and minus 7 in the afternoon.

Thursday’s forecast is cloudy with a high of 17 C and significant rain.

Friday’s outlook is sunny with a high of 11 C.

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Peter Szperling