Buses are cancelled but schools are open Wednesday in Waterloo region, Guelph and Wellington County and people are being reminded to be extra cautious during the morning commute due to freezing rain and ice build up.

The area is under an orange-level weather warning for freezing rain, which started overnight and is expected to continue until early evening.

Up to 10 mm of ice is possible, plus some areas could see snow before the weather system moves through.

Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region said buses and other school transportation were cancelled “due to the forecasted freezing rain.”

Schools in Waterloo region are open as are all extended day child care programs, St. Louis online, daytime, and evening classes and schools are expected to be open for community use programs.

Francobus, which services French-language schools, also said buses are cancelled in Waterloo region on Wednesday.

Student Transportation Services of Wellington-Dufferin said school buses in all zones are cancelled Wednesday.

GO Transit warned customers there could be delays for its routes around southwestern Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area and encouraged people to plan ahead and allow extra time for travel.

Sgt. Kerry Schmidt of the Ontario Provincial Police warned people in a video on X, formerly Twitter, that they should expect slippery conditions throughout the day.

“Make sure, if you are going to be out on the roads in the morning, those wet roads could in fact be icy,” he said in the video, reminding people to focus on driving.

“You may go from what appears to be dry roads, wet roads to icy, slick and slippery roads in a very short distance.”

Eric Tomlinson, a warning preparedness meteorologist for Environment Canada, told CBC News the low pressure system started over Montana on Tuesday, moved across the Great Lakes and “is now impacting the southern half of our province.”

“Surfaces are likely to be very slippery for the morning commute but also for the afternoon commute,” he said.

“We’re also expecting gusts of 60 km/h as freezing rain is falling and so that could also knock down tree branches if they have ice accretion and become heavier.”

Flooding possible

The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) warned last week in a watershed statement that there is a risk of flooding and ice jams in some areas.

Snowpack is “higher than normal” across the watershed and while that will help absorb some rain, there will be some snow that melts.

As warmer temperatures break up ice on the rivers, the GRCA said there is a risk of ice jams ” which may lead to localized flooding, particularly in areas that are prone to ice jams. Ice jams can form quickly and lead to sudden increases in water levels and flooding.”

People are reminded to take precautions near water and stay off banks and ice cover, which may be weakened with warmer temperatures.