85,000 without power in Ontario as ice storm moves through province

About 85,000 customers are currently without power in Ontario Saturday as an ice storm pummels parts of the province, Hydro One said. 

The outages, which are concentrated in central and eastern Ontario, are being caused by tree limbs and branches weighed down by freezing rain that break and fall onto power lines, said spokesperson Tiziana Baccega Rosa. 

She said some areas in the province, which are known as water-access only, may be without power for more than 24 hours. 

Crews will need to either fly in by helicopter or use boats, which they cannot do until the storm is over, Baccega Rosa said. Affected areas may include parts of Parry Sound and Huntsville. 

Crews are working to restore power across the province, Hydro One said in a post on X. 

“Stay safe, stay back from downed lines,” the company wrote.

Freezing rain began in parts of southern Ontario early Saturday morning while Toronto is expected to see it begin on Saturday night, Environment Canada said. 

The following areas saw freezing rain begin early Saturday, according to the federal weather agency: Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Markham, Newmarket, Georgina, northern York Region, Uxbridge, Beaverton, Pickering, Oshawa, Durham Region, Barrie, Collingwood and Hillsdale. 

These areas are expected to see ice build up between five to 10 mm, according to Environment Canada freezing rain warnings issued early Saturday morning. 

Freezing rain will likely change over to rain as temperatures hover near zero degrees, the warning said, but will continue longer over higher terrain where temperatures are cooler. 

“Freezing rain is expected to end for all areas by midday Sunday,” the warning says.

People are advised to consider postponing non-essential travel until conditions improve, Environment Canada said. 

Tree branches may break under ice build-up and surfaces including highways, roads and walkways will become “icy, slippery and hazardous,” the warning says. 

2 to 4 millimetres of freezing rain forecast in Toronto

Meanwhile in Toronto, Mississauga and Brampton, freezing rain is expected to begin early Saturday evening and continue into Sunday morning, Environment Canada said. 

These cities may see ice build up between two to four millimetres, as well as utility outages, slippery surfaces and broken tree branches, the federal weather agency said in a freezing rain warning Saturday afternoon. 

An initial special advisory that was in effect until noon Saturday also warned of possible utility outages, but that was no longer included in the latest freezing rain warning. 

WATCH | Toronto may be spared from the worst of this weekend’s ice storm:

Environment Canada is warning a messy storm is expected to bring freezing rain across the GTA. CBC meteorologist Chris Potter shares what to expect in this weekend’s forecast.

Further north in Orillia, Lagoon City and Washago, ice build up is expected between 10 to 20 mm, and amounts more than 25 mm are possible. 

The ice storm began Saturday morning and is forecast to continue into Sunday afternoon. Widespread power outages and icy, slippery conditions are expected, Environment Canada said. 

The city is among those hit by power outages, and it says the public library has been closed for the day because it’s without electricity.

Barrie, Collingwood and Hillsdale are also under a rainfall warning, starting early Saturday morning. By Sunday morning, rainfall amounts between 25 to 50 mm is expected.