And just like that, Ottawa, it looks and feels like winter out there! As the system moved into the region, significant melting occurred, and snow accumulation didn’t begin until late in the afternoon, ultimately creating a variation in snowfall amounts throughout the city. Depending on the location within the city, Ottawa received approximately 10 centimetres of snow, with some localized areas experiencing higher amounts.
Forecast and conditions
There is a chance of flurries beginning this afternoon and windy conditions are expected at 15 kilometres per hour. Daytime temperatures are expected to become increasingly mild throughout the week, with periods of rain in the forecast mid-week.
Our collective operational response
Supervisors continue to monitor the transportation network. The dayshift has picked up right where the nightshift left off and crews will continue to clear and treat sidewalks, roads, bus routes, the Transitway and the winter cycling network throughout the day and into the evening. They will also work their way into residential neighbourhoods to apply materials to treat slippery conditions. The nightshift will be back in overnight to clean up any problem areas such as bus stops, crosswalks, intersections, pedestrian islands, corners and cul de sacs.
As a reminder, this is our first deployment of the season, and it will take crews longer to get through the entire transportation network. Operators are settling into their newly assigned routes, adapting to conditions while remaining mindful that the ground is still soft and taking care to avoid damaging lawns. Please be patient as our crews navigate these difficult conditions.
Our partners in Parks Maintenance continue to clear and treat City facility parking lots as well as lots serving recreation centres while simultaneously finalizing equipment for the season. First passes are all complete and second passes, including supplemental lots, will be cleared today. Once parking lots and walkways are cleared, and temperatures start to rise, staff will begin work on installing protective equipment on sledding hills as soon as possible.
On Friday and throughout the weekend, our colleagues in Traffic Services continued their flex stakes and delineators removal efforts and while a portion of its Signs and Pavements Markings team are now preparing for Remembrance Day, a priority remains on finishing its removal work. Currently at 71% completion, Traffic Services aims to complete its removal work by the middle of next week.
In Solid Waste Services, peak leaf and yard waste season continues, even with snow on the ground. As this is the final scheduled week of peak collection, we encourage residents who aren’t keeping their leaves to set them out for pick up this week. Residents can set out their leaf and yard waste in reusable containers or paper yard bags. Crews have until 8 pm to complete yard waste collection during this peak period and will return to standard collection hours (7 am to 6 pm) next week. Residents can learn more at Ottawa.ca/leafandyard.
Seasonal closure - Chief William Commanda Bridge
Given the current conditions, weather forecast and temperatures this week, starting Tuesday morning at 7am, the bridge will be closed for the 2025/2026 winter season as it will be unsafe for public use. To ensure the safety of residents, new gates have been installed to prevent access to the bridge, as well as signage identifying the closure. City staff will monitor weather patterns and will use the gates to open and/or close the bridge during the spring and fall seasons, as required.
Next steps
Roads and Parking Services will continue to monitor the transportation network and address any problem areas accordingly.
Looking ahead to the next several days, the forecast is stable, and temperatures warm up.
Thank you for your support of our winter operations.
