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As Environment Canada warns residents in southern Ontario of a “potentially historic ice storm” this weekend, officials are reporting hundreds of collisions on area roads and there are a number of weather-related closures in place.

The weather agency issued warnings for the GTA and across southern Ontario on Saturday.

“Rain is changing to freezing rain as expected. It should persist into this evening. Some ice pellets may be mixed in at times,” an Environment Canada freezing rain warning read, noting there will likely be a lull in the precipitation Saturday evening.

READ MORE: Potential ice storm may cause widespread power outages across southern Ontario

“However, freezing rain will likely become widespread again. It should persist until it changes to rain Sunday afternoon. Significant rain may fall late Sunday and Sunday night, creating localized flooding.”

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In the Toronto area, Environment Canada said an ice buildup of 10 to 20 millimetres are likely by late Sunday. Areas outside of the GTA could see higher amounts, especially toward the Niagara Escarpment area.

Global News Meteorologist Ross Hull said winds on Sunday could result in damages that affect power.

“All areas will start to see strong northeasterly winds which could gust up to 60, 70 km/h tomorrow. With ice buildup on trees, that could lead to significant power outages,” Hull said Saturday afternoon.

Not what you want to see with significant ice on the way – a wind warning for #Oakville #Burlington #Hamilton #Niagara 90 km/h gusts possibly reaching 100 km/h into Sunday a.m. #onstorm pic.twitter.com/tbCdc00b6s — Ross Hull (@Ross_Hull) April 14, 2018

New RPM model doubling down on this ice storm, for the first time showing an area of over 40mm of freezing rain. pic.twitter.com/pSZeZaegrx — Anthony Farnell (@AnthonyFarnell) April 14, 2018

Meanwhile north of the GTA and in parts of central and eastern Ontario, residents had to deal with snow and ice pellets.

Hydro officials said extra crews have been brought in to respond to outages created by the storm system. There were less than 5,000 customers without power as of 12 a.m. on Sunday, according to Hydro One’s website.

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The City of Toronto said 65 salters were on duty to treat local roads. As of 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, city crews finished the fourth round of applying salt on the DVP, Gardiner Expressway and Allen Road as well as the third round on arterial roads and come collector roads.

READ MORE: Man in critical condition after sign blows over in Hamilton, paramedics say

The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority issued a flood watch on Saturday.

“Due to high soil moisture content in the region and the forecasted rainfall amount, all rivers within the GTA will be experiencing higher flows and water levels, resulting in potential flooding and hazardous conditions,” the statement said.

#FLOODMESSAGE #UPGRADE Flood Watch has been issued. Please exercise extreme caution around water and try to avoid driving today. Municipalities/individual landowners in flood-prone areas should prepare. Previous #FloodMessages issued #FloodOutlook Details: https://t.co/P72CcVtPqw pic.twitter.com/lIpNB610I7 — TRCA Flood (@TRCA_Flood) April 14, 2018

Residents are also encouraged by officials to check on the status of their flights at Toronto Pearson International Airport and Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport as the weather may cause delays.

James Kilgour, director of Toronto’s office of emergency management, said city crews are regularly meeting in order to respond to potential issues. He encouraged residents to prepare in the event of a power outage.

“Make sure you have food and water on hand, and a radio,” he said while encouraging residents to also check in with neighbours.

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If you were planning to watch the Toronto Raptors or Maple Leafs playoff games in front of the Air Canada Centre on Saturday, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment said the activities have been cancelled due to weather.

WATCH: City of Toronto confident limited number of salt trucks can tackle ice storm. Kamil Karamali reports. (April 13)

1:31 City of Toronto confident limited number of salt trucks can tackle ice storm City of Toronto confident limited number of salt trucks can tackle ice storm

OPP receive more than 550 collision reports

Ontario Provincial Police said they received more than 550 reports of collisions on OPP-patrolled roads in and around the GTA as of Saturday evening.

“The collisions we are being called to are all preventable,” Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said.

“Give yourself lots of room, do not be in a hurry, don’t take chances and if you can avoid travel today, this would be the day to avoid it.”

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Over 550 crashes today #OnStorm

Avoid non-essential travel#OPP responding to approx 50 collisions right now.

If you are involved in a wreck and you vehicle is drivable, exit the highway#SteerItClearIt #BeSafe pic.twitter.com/AAQR4IC52d — Sgt Kerry Schmidt (@OPP_HSD) April 15, 2018

Claremont access now open; detouring N-S routes up and down this one for now. — HSR (@hsr) April 14, 2018

#HSRAlert: all routes that go up and down the mountain are suspended due to road conditions. — HSR (@hsr) April 14, 2018

Universities, colleges cancel classes and exams due to storm

In anticipation of the storm system, the following post-secondary institutions closed on Saturday:

Centennial College (Saturday classes cancelled)

Georgian College (Saturday’s open house rescheduled to April 21)

Humber College (Saturday’s open house, classes, campus events cancelled, University of Guelph-Humber exams rescheduled to April 20)

Loyalist College (Saturday’s open house rescheduled to April 28)

McMaster University (Saturday’s exams rescheduled to April 22)

Mohawk College (Saturday’s exams rescheduled to April 21)

Ryerson University (Saturday morning exams proceeding, afternoon exams cancelled and will be rescheduled)

Sheridan College (Saturday classes, Theatre Sheridan shows cancelled)

University of Toronto Scarborough campus (closed for the rest of Saturday)

University of Waterloo (Saturday exams scheduled for after 11 a.m. rescheduled to April 22)

York University (operations suspended, Saturday’s exams postponed)

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Crashes continuing to occur across the GTA tonight. Jackknifed tractor trailer at Hwy 401 & Allen Rd, no injuries. I’ve seen more collisions today than during any other storm this winter. #onstorm pic.twitter.com/rHQnrfKPHO — Jeremy Cohn (@JeremyGlobalTV) April 15, 2018

Single vehicle crash on Highway 407 eastbound near Bronte Rd in #Oakville. Occupant treated by @HaltonMedics207 for minor injuries. Road conditions are poor as we continue to see a dangerous mix of snow, freezing rain, ice pellets. pic.twitter.com/S7Y82qCSuH — Jeremy Cohn (@JeremyGlobalTV) April 14, 2018

#BREAKING | @MLSEPR says #JurassicPark won’t be open outside the ACC for fans to view the @Raptors game tonight because of the incliment weather. Raptors Playoff Tailgate Party is cancelled. #RTZ #WeTheNorth — Kamil Karamali (@KamilKaramali) April 14, 2018

Environment Canada has issued freezing rain and winter storm warnings across southern Ontario. Here's a map of warnings right now: https://t.co/iPA8OQoL19 pic.twitter.com/0GK64DIYuh — Nick Westoll (@NWestoll) April 14, 2018

Freezing rain warning in effect for today and tomorrow. We're encouraging everyone to be prepared for possible outages. Here's how: https://t.co/wPtqJ7JRsH

Please RT. #ONstorm — Toronto Hydro (@TorontoHydro) April 14, 2018

Freezing rain in the Toronto area may affect flights this morning. Please confirm your flight time with your airline or at https://t.co/sCj5fDvHJ1. — Toronto Pearson (@TorontoPearson) April 14, 2018

@AnthonyFarnell freezing rain has started in Stratford accompanied by some nasty wind. Worried about the trees. pic.twitter.com/chNrJY8Umx — BHuggers (@brendadarling2) April 14, 2018

Due to today’s expected inclement weather, all College campuses will be closed and classes cancelled. If you do have to go out today please be extra cautious. — Centennial College (@CentennialEDU) April 14, 2018

Due to weather, our Open House has been postponed. It will now take place on Saturday, April 21 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at all campus locations. More information can be found at https://t.co/ABhQtI9D6P. — Georgian College (@georgiancollege) April 14, 2018

Open House has been cancelled due to weather. Campus tours and other arrangements that work for prospective students & their families can be made. Humber classes, UofGH exams and all campus events will also be cancelled. https://t.co/SkGMbsfd8B for more. — Humber College (@humbercollege) April 14, 2018

Today’s Open House has been rescheduled to Saturday, April 28 from 10 am to 1 pm. Existing pre-registrations have been updated for April 28, and pre-registration remains open at https://t.co/kL8yfjXFsq for a chance to win a Fjällräven backpack. pic.twitter.com/MItBbNiLMz — Loyalist College (@LoyalistCollege) April 14, 2018

Scheduled to write an exam today? All exams are postponed due to the forecast of inclement weather. All exams scheduled for today April 14 will now be held Sunday, April 22nd at the same time and in the same location as originally intended. The University is closed for the day. — McMaster University (@McMasterU) April 14, 2018

Mohawk College is closed due to inclement weather. Any exams scheduled for today, Saturday April 14, will be rescheduled to Saturday April 21. We will work with students to minimize any inconvenience. — Mohawk College News (@MohawkCollege) April 14, 2018

Due to the anticipated ice storm later today, afternoon exams for Saturday, April 14 are cancelled and will be re-scheduled. Morning exams, taking place from 9 to noon, are on and will proceed as scheduled. — Ryerson University (@RyersonU) April 14, 2018

Weather update: All campuses are closed due to freezing rain warning. Only essential services in effect. Theatre Sheridan shows cancelled. — Sheridan College (@sheridancollege) April 14, 2018

Campus is closed as of 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 14 due to severe weather. We expect to re-open on Sunday, April 15 at 9 a.m. An update will be made at approximately 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 15. #UTSC #UofT — University of Toronto Scarborough (@UTSC) April 14, 2018

Due to the anticipated ice storm today, the campus will be closed and exams scheduled from 11am onward on Saturday, April 14 are cancelled and will be re-scheduled for Sunday, April 22. #ONStorm — University of Waterloo (@UWaterloo) April 14, 2018

Due to @environmentca weather alert & related safety risks, #YorkU has suspended operations for today, effective immediately. Any exams scheduled for today will be postponed. https://t.co/Eizn8LG6sC — York University News (@YorkUnews) April 14, 2018