After a weekend storm brought the city to its knees with freezing rain pellets and gusting winds causing hundreds of collisions and power outtages, Toronto is now under a flood watch. The ice storm caused hundreds of collisions and flight cancellations and left almost 11,000 people without power this weekend. On Sunday afternoon, Environment Canada issued a wind warning, for winds gusting up to 100 km/h, along with a freezing rain and heavy rainfall warning.Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Kerry Schmidt warned Monday morning commuters to stay alert and slow down as there’s a possibility of flooding with rainfall totalling 25 to 35 mm forecast into Monday afternoon.“Old man winter is not done with us yet, but I think we’re going to get to the upper hand over the next couple of days. Hopefully this will be the last blast of winter we see over the next couple of days,” said Schmidt. The city has been under a flood watch since Saturday and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) said the main time for a concern of flooding is Sunday night into Monday. TRCA is warning people to be cautious around bodies of water and when driving in low-lying areas such as underpasses and near the shoreline. After two days of freezing rain and ice pellets that left roads and sidewalks slippery and treacherous, Schmidt said this weekend was “crazy” as police responded to more than 1,400 collisions in the GTA and surrounding areas. “People are losing control very often and they panic when they hit the snow, they aggressively swerve or steer and they lose control,” said Schmidt, adding that most of the collisions were minor fender-benders.Many streets were not plowed this weekend, Mayor John Tory said at a Sunday media briefing, because the temperature is forecast to rise well above freezing this week.“If you plow all of that slush onto the side of the road, it dramatically increases the chances of flooding later on,” ...
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