TORONTO – People across southwestern Ontario and Toronto are waking up to downed trees and no power as an overnight ice storm moved through the region.
In Toronto, high winds and rain, heavy at times, pounded the downtown core overnight.
Jeff Brazier woke up Friday to find a tree had fallen on his car overnight in the Bathurst Road and Ava Road area of Toronto.
“There’s also a power line down on top of my car so I can’t even touch my car. I’ve got to wait for police, hydro, everyone to come,” Brazier said. “It’s probably going to be awhile.”
Across the province, 115,000 people are without power.
“This storm caused significant damage to our system, knocking down more than 200 poles and damaging lines in a swath that stretches from St. Thomas to Kingston,” said Len McMillan, a Vice President at Hydro One said in a press release. “We have mobilized every available resource and thank our customers for their patience as we work to restore power.”
Roughly 25,000 people in Grey and Bruce counties were without power after falling tree limbs downed power lines in the area and high winds damaged hydro poles.
PowerStream reported almost 990 customers were without power in Vaughan for close to an hour but has since been restored.
Much of the GTA, including Toronto, remained under a freezing rain warning overnight as the slow-moving low pressure system came through the area.
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Environment Canada lifted the warning around 8:30 a.m.
Ice-covered roads were reported in Orangeville Friday morning, making for treacherous driving conditions in the area.
Environment Canada issued an ice storm warning just before 5 a.m., predicting freezing rain and ice pellets, heavy at times.
Deteriorating road conditions are likely to continue as temperatures hover near the freezing mark, according to the weather agency.
Winds gusts of up to 80 km/h and freezing rain amounts of up to 10 millimetres are possible in many areas. The heavier amounts, possibly exceeding 20 millimetres, would be primarily to the west and northwest of the GTA.
The wintery weather forced several bus cancellations and school closures in the Greater Toronto Area.
Click here for a full list of school closures and bus cancellations.
Porter Airlines, which flies out of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, re-issued a travel advisory Friday morning, asking passengers to confirm their flight before heading to the airport.
As of 5 a.m. 34 flights to and from Toronto Pearson International Airport have been cancelled.
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