Tractor-trailer slides off highway while carrying tomatoes

It’s a messy scene on Highway 401 eastbound near Kingston, as a tractor-trailer carrying tomatoes slid off the road.

“Crews are working to unload the cargo of tomatoes, which is quickly turning into tomato sauce,” Ontario Provincial Police wrote in a post on X.

The driver suffered minor injuries. The highway is closed near Gardiners Road just west of Kingston on Wednesday morning as crews try to remove the vehicle. Police did not give a reopening time.

Driving conditions in Ottawa and the surrounding region continue to be slick and hazardous. Environment Canada colour-coded the nation’s capital with multiple alerts as a low-pressure system moves out of the area.

According to the rainfall warning issued on Tuesday and in effect until Wednesday evening, the weather agency is warning the 10 to 15 millimetres of rain is not going to be absorbed quickly into the frozen ground. This could lead to some localized flooding on roads and in low-lying areas.

Fog is also impacting the morning commute, with Environment Canada saying visibility is “near zero” on Wednesday morning. It is expected to dissipate around noon.

Fluctuating temperatures are set to bring mixed precipitation to Ottawa for the rest of the week. The city’s forecast notes that rain could change to snow as wind chills pick up dropping temperatures to -10 C overnight Wednesday.

Thursday could see some flurries with accumulation predicted by meteorologists to be around 2 centimetres. Winds will continue to play a factor in the lowering temperature with gusts of 50 km/h expected around -12 C.