5-10 mm of more ice expected Sunday, officials warn of power outages

After a treacherous start to the weekend in the nation’s capital, the poor weather is continuing on Sunday.

Environment Canada says that Ottawa could see 5 to 10 millimetres of additional ice accretion today. This, the weather agency warns, could cause power outages and broken tree branches from ice build-up.

“Freezing rain is forecast to continue until early this evening,” the weather note reads.

The governmental body is warning people to be careful on sidewalks and roads, and be cautious of branches or electrical wires that could break under the weight of the ice.

Emergency responders are pleading that people postpone non-essential travel as they were called to multiple accidents across the city on Saturday. The messy weather started off with snow, which later melted over the course of the day until rain turned into freezing rain.

The first of the accidents started in Ottawa on Friday evening, as officials were called to Highway 416 near Spencerville, Ont. for a multi-car pile-up.

Before midnight on Friday, a northbound vehicle left the road and rolled into the ditch. Police say multiple passerby vehicles stopped to offer assistance.

Shortly after, another vehicle left the road, striking one of the parked vehicles and entering the ditch. First responders say several people were injured; four were transported to a regional trauma centre with serious injuries and at least four others were transported to a local hospital with minor injuries.

Between midnight and 9:00 a.m. Saturday morning, provincial police east region officers responded to nearly 70 collisions as a result of weather conditions. Most were vehicles that ended up in ditches; one was fatal.

With files from CityNews’ Rachel Morgan.