Over 550 crashes reported as storm brings freezing rain, ice pellets

More than 550 crashes have been reported across and around the Greater Toronto Areaas parts ofOntariodeal with freezing rain, snow and ice pellets.

The mix of precipitation is coming ahead of a potential ice storm on Sunday.

Many of the GTA crashes are single-vehicle collisions,with cars endingup sideways, going into ditches and concrete walls, spinning out and going the wrong way, according toSgt. Kerry Schmidt of the Ontario Provincial Police's Highway Safety Division.

Schmidt urged drivers to stay off the roads if possible.

"We have problems all over the place," Schmidt said in Mississauga. "Don't drive if you don't have to. It's windy, it's wet, it's cold, it's miserable. All of that altogether, and we got crashes all across the GTA."

Just before 9 p.m. ET,Schmidt tweeted that the OPP was currently responding to about 50 road collisions.

The City of Toronto said Saturday afternoon nearly 80 salting trucks are on the roads to help clear snow and ice.

Toronto's Pearson International Airport saidmore than 210arriving flights and over220departing flights were cancelled. Some colleges and universitiesalsocancelled classes and exams.

Freezing rain warning still in place

Torontoremainedunder a freezing rain warning, with Environment Canada sayingan ice storm is "likely on Sunday."

Colette Kennedy, meteorologist for CBC News, said a slow-moving low pressure system, plus gusty northeasterly winds,is bringing the wintry blast of weather.Snow has been reported north and westof Toronto.

"We can expect a mix of all types of precipitation coming through the GTA and much of southern Ontario, frankly," Kennedy said. "It's changing every minute."

Expect power outages

On Saturday afternoon, the freezing rain and ice pellets wereexpected to turn into "all ice pellets" before ice would start to build up later in the evening.

The freezing rain wasexpected to last into Sunday, Environment Canada said, and theweather couldlead to significant buildup of ice and power outages.

Ice buildup of 10 to 20 millimetres waslikely in Toronto by late Sunday, the weather agency added.

Increasing the likelihood of power outages were winds that were expected to gust between 70 and80 km/h anhour, and the possibility of ice-laden trees falling on power lines.

Roads, if not treated with salt, could be "dangerous," especially if the ice causes tree branches to fall on roadways, Environment Canada said in its warning.

For residents tostay safe during the storm, James Kilgour, the director of Toronto'soffice of emergency management, is asking residentsto stay informed, check on their neighbours and to stay away from downed trees.

"Your safety is paramount. Do not approach that," Kilgoursaid about fallen trees."Call 311, 311 will then be able to triage it and put the appropriateparties there to attend to that situation."

Tori Gass, spokesperson for Toronto Hydro, called thestorm an "all-hands-on-deck situation" involving30 extra crews three times the number on a normalSaturday.

She said Toronto Hydro wasprepared for possible outages, but there may be delays to get powerrestored if the weather gets particularly dangerous.

"We are ready to respond, and we will be working to tackle the restoration as soon as possible, but these are some dangerous conditions," Gass said. "With freezing rain like this, there may be some delaysif our crews can't go out because of safety reasons, but we will be doing everything possible to get the power back should we haveoutages."

Jay Armitage, spokesperson for Hydro One, which provides power across Ontario, said itreceived three times the average number of calls on Saturday due to the storm.

Hydro One said it has crews ready to respond to outages round theclock, and additional resources are on standby this weekend. By Saturday evening, more than 6,000 people were without power.

Alectra Utilities reported earlier in the day that more than 15,000 customers lost power in St. Catharines, but by the evening, ithad been restored to all but 1,400.

Rain could cause flooding on Sunday

"Significant" rain could fall late Sunday, whichcould lead to flooding on roadways and low-lying areasSunday night into Monday.

According to the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), five to 10 millimetres of rain fell Friday night in the GTA, bringing the total rain fall over the past three days to 15 to 25 millimetres.

The TRCA saidit is difficult to anticipate the amount of flooding, but advisedthe public to stay alert to changing weather conditions.

The spring storm is due to a moisture-laden low pressure area over the central U.S. that is moving toward the Great Lakes this weekend.

As the low-pressure system approaches, thenortheasterly winds are expected to bringcold arctic air, forcing temperatures below freezing on Saturday morning.

Winds may also affect bodies of water, including Lake Ontario and rivers,and all shorelines, rivers and streams in theGTAshould be considered hazardous, it said.

Colleges, universities cancelling exams

York University, HumberCollege, University of Guelph-Humber and Ryerson University all cancelled exams Saturday and willreschedule them.

York University said in a statement: "Due to the higher than acceptable possibility of slips and falls due to road and walkway conditions that are likely to materialize through the course of this morning, the university is enacting weather emergency procedures and suspending normal university operations today, effective immediately."

HumberCollege also cancelled an open house, classes and all events.

At Sheridan College, classes werecancelled, while libraries, food services and recreational facilities wereclosed.

Centennial College closed its campuses and cancelled classes.

At Ryerson, morning exams for noon wereto proceed as scheduled, while afternoon exams were cancelled.

University of Toronto, Scarborough campus, closed at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday and was scheduled to reopen on Sunday at 9 a.m., weather permitting.

Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, meanwhile, closed Maple Leaf Square, outside the Air Canada Centrein Toronto, out of public safety concerns, hours before the start of the first NBA playoff game between the Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards.

Check flight status, Pearson urges

Pearsonurgedtravellers to checkflight status before leaving for the airport. If flight status has not changed, travellers should leave early to allow additional time at check-in, the airport said. More than 250 flights were cancelled by Saturday evening.

"Our de-icing team is fully staffed and prepared to process aircraft for departures, while our terminal staffing has been increased to provide additional customer service staff for passengers," he said in an email.

North of Toronto, the town of Newmarket said it closed all of facilities, including its public library, as of 2 p.m.

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