Up to 40 mm of rain could soak parts of Ottawa-Gatineau area

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A large amount of rain could fall on hard, frozen ground around the capital starting Tuesday evening.

Rainfall warnings for a broad swath of eastern Ontario and western Quebec bordered by Kingston, Sharbot Lake and Shawville call for up to 40 millimetres of rain by Wednesday night. Current ground conditions mean it's unlikely all that precipitation will be absorbed.

Colder temperatures on Thursday could cause a freeze, topped by a few centimetres of snow in western Quebec. The temperature in Ottawa-Gatineau is forecast rise to 5 C Tuesday. It should stay above zero overnight and peak at 4 C Wednesday before dropping below freezing. Thursday night could drop to –12 or –13 C.