Environment Canada has issued an freezing rain warning for the Ottawa Region(link is external) with a significant amount of freezing rain forecasted to arrive this evening and to continue through Monday. Ice buildup of 15 to 20 millimetres on some surfaces is possible.
Residents are reminded to use extreme caution while using the transportation network as highways, roads, walkways, and parking lots will become icy and slippery, and there is a possibility of power outages and tree damage from the ice buildup.
A Significant Weather Event has been declared
A Significant Weather Event (SWE) is declared when Environment Canada issues a Weather Hazard when weather that is either occurring or approaching has the potential to pose significant danger to users of Ottawa’s transportation network.
The intent of declaring a SWE is to notify the public that because of the forecast and/or current weather conditions, it will take longer than usual to restore the transportation network to expected conditions and that caution is to be exercised when using sidewalks, roads, and the winter cycling network.
Our response
In preparation for this event, the City is in a “Monitoring” stance.
The Public Works Department is ready to respond! Roads and Parking Services are preparing equipment, filling salt domes and are ready to deploy all resources. Parks Maintenance crews will also be out in full force, treating City facility parking lots (with a priority on Fire and Paramedic stations), as well as lots serving recreation centres and treating pathways. Traffic Services will be monitoring and adjusting traffic signals and managing mobility implications, with on-call personnel prepared for controller and signal issues. Forestry will monitor wind and ice buildup and is set to respond for downed trees and dangerous limbs. While garbage and recycling collection will continue as usual tomorrow, there may be delays with curbside collection. Residents are asked to leave their bins out at the curb until they are emptied as it will take crews longer to complete their collection routes due to icy conditions.
Resident support is required
- Are you ready? To help ensure your safety and the safety of your family, now is a good time prepare your emergency kit(link is external).
- Safety is a priority for our Public Works team, and we will be out in full force. Conditions will be hazardous, and residents are reminded that non-essential travel should be avoided. If you must go out, give yourself extra time and adjust to the conditions of the transportation network.
- Service requests should only be created for emergencies, such as downed tree limbs blocking sidewalks, roads or the cycling network.
Next steps
The City will continue to monitor conditions throughout this freezing rain event and respond accordingly.
We appreciate your understanding and patience. While this system is forecasted to end tomorrow, the recovery may last some time. Please be assured, our crews are hard at work. As this system’s impact becomes clearer, we’ll provide more details on our continued response.
