‘Rain, at times heavy’: Freezing rain and rainfall warnings issued Wednesday for Golden Horseshoe

Environment Canada has issued freezing rain and rainfall warnings for much of southern Ontario, including Hamilton and the Halton and Niagara regions.

The national weather agency says a brief period of freezing rain mixed with snow is expected early Wednesday afternoon.

“Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become icy, slippery and hazardous,” reads the weather warning.

READ MORE: Flood watch issued for parts of Southern Ontario

Ontario Provincial Police say multiple vehicles are in the ditch along Highway 403 in Brant County.

Both the eastbound and westbound ramps at Highway 6 and Highway 403 are closed because of the snowy and icy weather conditions.

“Please adjust your driving to the weather and road conditions. Slow down, leave extra space, and stay alert,” OPP wrote in a post on X around 2 p.m.

#BrantOPP is currently on scene with multiple vehicles in the ditch along Hwy 403 – and more keep arriving.

Please adjust your driving to the weather and road conditions. Slow down, leave extra space, and stay alert. If travel isn’t necessary, consider delaying your trip. ^jb pic.twitter.com/YTdBE2kAzb

— OPP West Region (@OPP_WR) April 2, 2025

Environment Canada predicts the freezing rain will transition to rain — at times heavy — amounting to 30 millimetres to 50 millimetres.

It says locally higher amounts are possible if thunderstorms repeatedly impact the same area.

The rain is expected to stop overnight or early Thursday morning.

WATCH MORE: Burlington neighbourhood worries heavy rains too much for local culvert

The severe weather event has also prompted Wilfrid Laurier University to close its locations as of 1:30 p.m.

All in-person meetings and events are cancelled at its Brantford, Milton and Waterloo campuses, however, it says instructors can choose to move their classes to virtual.

Campus operations are scheduled to resume as normal by 6 a.m. Thursday.