More freezing rain warnings across the Ottawa-Gatineau region

OttawaMore freezing rain is coming late Wednesday, but Environment Canada says it’s not expected to be as bad as this past weekend’s ice storm.Environment Canada says it won’t be as bad as the major storm last weekendCBC News · Posted: Apr 01, 2025 5:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours agoIce covers a bare branch in downtown Kingston on March 29, 2025. Hit hard by an ice storm this past weekend, the region is expected to get more freezing rain Wednesday. (Daniel Taekema/CBC)Another period of freezing rain is forecast to hit the Ottawa-Gatineau area late Wednesday, but Environment Canada says it’s not expected to be as bad as this past weekend’s ice storm.Freezing rain warnings went out late Tuesday afternoon for western Quebec and most of eastern Ontario, except for Prince Edward County.For eastern Ontario, snow and ice pellets should start early Wednesday afternoon around Kingston and hit Ottawa a few hours later, according to forecasters. Freezing rain is expected to follow, then rain by Thursday morning as the temperature climbs.”This freezing rain event will not be nearly as significant as the ice storm from this past weekend,” says eastern Ontario’s warning.Western Quebec’s warning predicts several hours of freezing rain without the other precipitation.Freezing rain fell for a long time on Kingston and areas to its west this past weekend — 35 hours of it were measured in Trenton.The ice coated roads, trees and hydro lines, knocking out power to tens of thousands of people. About 30,000 customers were still without power Tuesday afternoon, mostly in the Bancroft and Tweed areas.Eastern Ontario rainOnce the rain starts in eastern Ontario, it too is expected to be significant.There is a rainfall warning in the Kingston and Belleville area forecasting 20 to 40 millimetres by Thursday morning. There is a chance thunderstorms bring even more.Fifteen to 25 millimetres of rain could fall closer to Ottawa to end the bad weather.Ottawa’s forecasted high is 17 C Thursday and 11 C Friday.