Freezing rain, ice pellets to hit Toronto on Monday, Environment Canada warns

The city will face a round of freezing rain Monday evening, starting off what will be a cold and wet week.

Environment Canada issued a special statement warning that a “band of light snow at times mixed with ice pellets” will hit Toronto early in the afternoon. It’ll be followed by freezing rain later in the evening, the agency said.

Senior meteorologist Mark Schuster said the rain will hit hardest in areas above Hwy. 401. like Vaughan and Markham. The temperature is forecasted to stay at 0 C, feeling like -16 C in the morning with wind chill, so layer up.

“If there is any precipitation this afternoon, looks like it might just last an hour or two and then there’ll be a break,” said Schuster. “It might only be a trace amount of snow, maybe maximum of two centimetres.”

But Schuster said even with the minimal amount of snow, the weather agency is warning drivers to take it slow and easy on the roads.

“With Toronto, it only takes one centimetre to cause traffic problems,” said Schuster.

The rest of the week is not all bad, though. Monday’s wet, icy conditions will make way for a much warmer Tuesday, which Schuster said is looking to be the warmest point of the week with a temperature of 6 C.

It’ll still be pretty wet — Environment Canada is also forecasting a 60 per cent chance of showers in afternoon along with some wind gusts that will rise from 30 km/h to 50 km/h.

But all good things must come to an end. Temperatures will drop to -4 C in the night and the GTA might even see some light flurries, the agency is forecasting.

The flurries will continue into Wednesday, while the temperature sits at 0 C during the 

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