Grab your waterproof gear! Environment Canada has issued a freezing rain warning for the GTA.

“Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become icy and slippery,” the weather agency said in a statement. Rain is expected to start around noon, Sunday, and is expected to continue into the evening.

Temperatures will head to a high of 8C and a low of 1C.

“Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions. Utility outages may occur,” Environment Canada adds.

The freezing rain will also extend until tomorrow afternoon for the majority of Ontario, the agency said.

“More (warnings) were added today near the Ontario and Quebec border, with a couple more up in northern Ontario east of Lake Superior,” said Steven Flisfeder, a meteorologist with Environment Canada.

Regions in north eastern Ontario like Sault Ste. Marie, Elliot Lake, North Bay, Greater Sudbury, and eastern regions like Bancroft and Brockville, are more likely to see ice storms, Flisfeder said. People in those regions are encouraged to stay in and avoid driving if possible.

“Already today Sault Ste. Marie had about 8 hours worth of freezing rain,” he said. “Most people hear ice storm, they think along the lines of the 1998 Ice Storm. We aren’t expecting anything quite as impactful with these storms. Still, some regions could be pretty hard pressed with power outages, and roads will be slippery for a fairly significant amount of time.”

A look ahead to the start of 2020? Flurries are expected for New Year’s Eve, with temperatures sitting at a steady 1C throughout the day.

For New Year’s Day, the forecast calls a high of 2C and a low of -3C. Flurries are expected to continue.

With files from Miriam Lafontaine.

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