Some icy weather has hit Toronto this weekend with a freezing drizzle advisory and extreme cold weather alert in effect.
On Saturday, Environment Canada issued a freezing rain warning for Toronto, Hamilton, Mississauga, Brampton, Halton Hills, Milton, Burlington, Oakville, Pickering, Oshawa, southern Durham Region, Vaughan, Richmond Hill and Markham but the warning was cancelled on Sunday morning and replaced with a freezing drizzle advisory instead.
The national weather agency warned that the region could see ice pellets mixed with light snow today.
“Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become icy and slippery,” the advisory reads.
“Freezing drizzle can produce thin, hard-to-detect layers of ice. Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions.”
The temperature is expected to fall to -8 C in Toronto this afternoon but it will feel closer to -13 with the wind chill. Due to the dip in temperature, an extreme cold weather alert has been issued for Toronto by the city's medical officer of health.
When an alert is in effect, the city offers extra shelter spaces for the homeless, opens up warming centres and provides other cold-weather related services.
Two 24-hour drop-ins are now open, including Margaret's Toronto East Drop-in, located at 323 Dundas Street East and the St. Felix Centre, located at 25 Augusta Avenue.
During extremely cold temperatures, the city advises residents to:
- Dress in layers
- Seek shelter if outside for long periods of time
- Drink warm fluids
- Consider rescheduling time outdoors
- Visit vulnerable friends, family
- Don’t leave pets outside
