The region is continuing to scrape off all the ice following Wednesday’s severe freezing rain, but after a bit of a thaw expected Thursday, more winter weather is expected to return.
Morning commuters are having to navigate another trip of slippery, icy conditions, carrying over from the hazardous conditions.
That includes some service disruptions for transit riders on Grand River Transit (GRT) and the ION light rail service, which remains shut down from Conestoga Station to Fairway Station.
On a positive note, GRT bus routes are operating once again, with previously impacted bus stops now completely reopened. Looking to the skies, there’s a bit of good news for Thursday as well.
“Much quieter on the weather front today,” said 570’s Weather Specialist Denise Andreacchi. “Mostly cloudy, plus 2 C is our high.”
She said it would be a much nicer day compared to Wednesday, at least throughout the day. She stated that once Thursday night and Friday morning roll around, those wintry conditions could return once again.
“The winds really start to pick up tonight. We’ve got periods of light rain or mixing moving in, we’ll watch for a slight chance of freezing drizzle as well,” Andreacchi stated. “We are expecting more active weather; it’s actually a very active weather stretch for us here in southern Ontario.”
She said the light rain and possible mixing are expected to carry throughout the day on Friday, before a bit of snow could travel into the region for the weekend.
“Temperatures are going to be just hovering around the freezing mark,” she said. “Scattered flurries and light snowfall expected throughout the weekend, both Saturday and Sunday.”
Waterloo Region was hit with upwards of 15 mm of ice accretion throughout Wednesday.
It led to various delays for drivers and for transit riders alike, with GRT declaring a severe weather event and the ION light rail service ground to a halt.
In one more dangerous case, a GRT bus lost control while driving on a road in Cambridge, slid off the roadway, crossed over the sidewalks, and crashed into a local house. Regional police said no one was hurt during the incident.
According to Environment Canada, the sunshine should make a return at the start of the work week next week, but the temperatures are set to take a bit of a dip.
Monday is set to see a mix of sun and cloud, with a high of -5 C, with Tuesday looking similar with a mix of sun and cloud, and a high of -4 C.