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Freezing rain, melting snow makes for messy Toronto commute

Giant puddles formed on Toronto streets on Monday, due to melting snow and rainy conditions.

A mix of rain, freezing rain and warmer temperatures in Toronto — melting the piles of snow dumped on the city last week — made for a messy commute on Monday morning, with dozens of collisions in the city.

Icy roads in the northern sections of the Greater Toronto Area, and pools of water collecting around city curbs and on expressways made for slippery driving conditions, the CBC's Trevor Dunn reported.

"Many routes in the city, including parts of the expressways, are looking a lot narrower this morning because of big pools of water forming along the curbs and in some cases taking up an entire lane," Dunn said.

There were at least 61 collisions on Monday since midnight, with 10 resulting in personal injury, according to Toronto Police Services.

The latest storm system is bringing rain and freezing rain to parts of southern Ontario, while those in the northern parts of the province can expect as much as 10 centimetres of snow, forecasters say.

In southern Ontario, there are freezing rain warnings from eastern Lake Superior, through the Nickel Belt and Ottawa to just north of Toronto, said CBC meteorologist Jay Scotland.

In Toronto, there was light drizzle on Monday morning, and even a thunderstorm, he added. Meanwhile, north of the city, drivers and pedestrians had to contend with icy conditions, he added.

By the afternoon, the freezing rain forecast for parts of Ontario is expected to transition to rain as a warm front passes.

But, the rain and warm weather could result in localized flooding as the snow from Friday's storm — which dumped more than 20 centimetres on the Greater Toronto Area— melts, said Scotland.

Meanwhile, snow is falling in northern Ontario, but it is expected to taper off by the afternoon.

However, those in the northeastern parts of the province such as Timmins, Ont., are expected to see as much as 10 centimetres of snow.

Also, high wind gusts are forecasted for the Niagara Region and Prince Edward County east of Kingston, Ont., Scotland added.