Fresh off the heels of a nail-biting win from Team Canada yesterday, Ottawa woke up to a fresh blanket of snow on the ground. The city got approximately 12 centimetres of snow last night with higher amounts in some areas, more than had been forecasted. Of course. Thankfully, the Roads and Parking services team is always ready to respond!
Forecast and conditions
Cloudy conditions are expected today, with a chance of flurries throughout the day and into tonight. Winds will be from the northeast at 20 kilometres per hour, gusting to 40. The daytime high will be minus 5, with a wind chill of minus 14. Winds will ease to 15 kilometres per hour, and the overnight low will fall to minus 8, with a wind chill of minus 14.
Our response
Supervisors have been monitoring conditions of transportation network overnight and will continue throughout the day. The team was busy working all night clearing and treating sidewalks, priority roads and the winter cycling network. Crews moved into residential neighborhoods early this morning and work will continue throughout the day. The nightshift will be back in tonight and will focus on cleaning up the transportation network and any problem areas such as bus stops, crosswalks, intersections, pedestrian islands, corners and cul de sacs.
We are asking for patience. Blowing and drifting snow, particularly in rural areas, will be challenging for the team and will slow operations down. Rest assured, crews are hard at work and will continue throughout the day.
Next steps
Roads and Parking Services will continue to monitor the forecast and the transportation network throughout the weekend. Now that the system has moved out of the region, this will be the final operational update for this winter event. Looking ahead to tomorrow, an additional 2 to 4 centimetres of snow is possible, and the team will be ready to respond as required.
Thank you for your ongoing support and travel with care.
