Snow to freezing rain expected in Ottawa as storm sweeps across province

A spring storm is sweeping across the province on Wednesday expected to bring snow, rain and freezing rain to the nation’s capital.

The additional wet weather is raising flood concerns because of the recent soaking last weekend. Environment Canada says that the system is expected to hit late Wednesday into Thursday.

It’s set to bring rising temperatures but will start with a possibility of 5 centimetres of snow followed by freezing rain with ice accretion predictions around 2 to 5 mm.

“This freezing rain event will not be nearly as significant as the ice storm from this past weekend,” the weather agency assures.

People in central Ontario are still dealing with the ramifications of ice build-up, that snapped trees and bent them over roadways and on top of homes. Thousands of people are still without power, and could continue to be until later this week, according to Hydro One.

This storm could dump 15 to 25 mm of rain on Ottawa when it’s finished and wind gusts could be as strong as 50 km/h, which could “exacerbate” any tree damage from the weekend’s storm.

“For locations along the Ottawa River, freezing rain may persist into early Thursday morning,” the agency said.

The waterways around the city are already high, and conservation authorities are warning people to be cautious.

The Rideau River is under a flood watch, and the Lower Ottawa River has a flood outlook statement issued by the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority.

The Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority issued a flood watch for waterways in its vicinity.

“Rivers have stabilized over the last week but are expected to increase again due to the continuing weather conditions,” the authority said. “Springtime levels and flows are expected to continue into next week.”

Localized flooding and ponding is possible in low-lying areas.