Freezing rain to batter region, warning issued

Freezing rain covered the region Thursday A storm system moved through the region leaving freezing rain and snow in its wake. Sean Irvine reports.

A freezing rain warning is in effect for London-Middlesex and most of southern Ontario as a strong Colorado low takes aim at the area overnight Wednesday, according to Environment Canada.

Freezing rain with ice accretion of a few millimeters is possible starting overnight and continuing into Thursday morning.

The temperature will climb just above freezing early in the day, and the freezing precipitation will transition to rainfall in the city.

The wintery mix of weather will be accompanied by strong winds with gusts of up to 70 km/h across southern Ontario, and the ice and strong winds could lead to power outages in the region.

In midwestern Ontario, freezing rain through the morning will make for a dangerous commute, and in addition, snow is expected with accumulations of 5 to 10 cm Thursday.

Areas northeast, north and east of London will experience a wintery mix of freezing rain, ice pellets and accumulating snow.

Thursday's winter weather is part of a 3,000 kilometre-long storm that has already dumped snow on the Prairie provinces and northern Ontario, and will batter southern Ontario on Thursday, before moving east towards Quebec and the already snow-blanketed Atlantic provinces.

— With files from CTVNews.ca's Natasha O'Neill