A smattering of ice pellets cover the roof of a home in Leaside, Toronto as the first wave of precipitation from the impending storm moves in

The low elevation of Leaside in Toronto allowed the snow up north to instead fall as ice pellets down in the city. The expected change over to rain was stunted as more cold air flooded in and mixing began to occur aloft.

Commuters in Brampton near hwy 50 & Queen St get on a Zoom bus as heavy wet snow falls. The snow was not expected, a combination of colder air flooding in and additional mixing aloft meant that the precipitation, which was supposed to remain as ice pellets eventually changing to rain fell almost entirely as snow with the first wave of precipitation.

A "surprise" winter storm blankets Langstaff Rd just west of hwy 27 with a coating of wet snow. This unusual late season storm left many municipalities unprepared to treat the icy road surfaces and commence plowing operations. The snow also created an additional forecast element not forseen, with a fresh blanket on the ground it meant that temperatures were able to remain cooler longer and this would aid in the freezing rain process which would begin with the second wave of precipitation much later in the day towards evening.

Normally at this time of the year the first spring sprouts are shooting out of the ground, but that seems unlikely given the fresh coating of snow.

This was the radar image at the time showing just where the snow, ice pellets, freezing rain and normal rain sat. You can see the blues and purples (snow) effecting the GTA and areas eastward while much of the Hamilton, Halton and western portions of Mississauga were seeing a good mix of ice pellets (orange). Further south, along the QEW on the south shore of Lake Ontario most of the precipitation was falling as rain (green) and to the west a pocket of freezing rain (pink) had developed over Kitchener, Waterloo, Guelph and other surrounding communities due to cold air damming at the surface.

As I started my missing late at nigh to find freezing rain as the second wave of precipitation moved in ice accretion was rapidly building. Here, a road sign stands frozen near Caledon.

The streets of Orangeville required a pair of well sharpened skates.

A driver heads west along an ice covered Broadway in downtown Orangeville

Glazed city streets