The forecast held steady and with this winter weather event mostly holding true to yesterday’s forecast, this operational update won’t come as much of a surprise.
Forecast and conditions
As of 7 am this morning, 7 to 10 centimetres of snow had fallen in parts of Ottawa and now, the bulk of the accumulation appears to be in our rear view mirror. As this winter weather event starts to make its exit, periods of light snow and flurries are possible in certain parts of the City throughout the day. The event is expected to come to an end by early this evening, possibly closing off the day with another couple of centimetres of snow.
Something worth noting about today’s forecast, is the surface temperature of our transportation network. This afternoon, the surface of our sidewalks, roads, and winter cycling network may reach above freezing level. On one hand, this may help lessen the total levels of accumulation as snow could melt on contact. On the other, however, water from this melt may freeze as the temperature is expected to drop below freezing later this evening, creating icy conditions as we head into the overnight hours.
As always, we would like to remind everyone to walk, drive, and cycle with care as we travel our way into the weekend. Icy conditions cannot always be easily seen and may come as a surprise. So please, adjust to the conditions of the transportation network.
Our Response
Last night teams worked on our sidewalks, priority roads and the winter cycling network, efforts that will continue throughout this morning and throughout the day. We are expecting to reach residential neighbourhoods by mid-morning today to clear and treat streets, please try and find off-street parking where possible to ensure that we have enough space to work.
The last leg of this event will begin later this evening once residential neighbourhoods have been cleared and treated, at which point teams will then start working on addressing problem spots such as bus stops, crosswalks, intersections, islands, corners, and cul de sacs.
Snowbank Removal Operations Will Resume
Snowbank removal operations are expected to resume Saturday evening, and throughout the day tomorrow crews will be putting signs up in areas where work is scheduled to begin. Efforts will continue in our business districts and on our collectors and arterial roads, including some residential neighbourhoods within our urban area.
Please keep an eye out for temporary no parking signs. Once snowbank removal work is scheduled, signs will go up advising everyone that the work is about to begin. When and where these signs go up, parked vehicles must be removed from the roadway and failure to do-so will result in a ticket and tow to a nearby streets. No one is exempt from these restrictions, including those with an on-street parking permit.
Resident Support is Needed
- Be a hydrant hero! If you are out this weekend, please consider shovelling around your local fire hydrant. Remember that Ottawa Fire Services requires an area of 1.5 metres around the hydrant to gain access during a fire. For more information, please visit Ottawa.ca.
- If today is your waste collection day, please place your bins in your driveway – not on sidewalks or on the roadway, and especially away from snowbanks.
- Yes, our snowbank removal operations are very exciting to watch! But remember, the safest place to observe is always from far. Always wave to our operators from a safe distance and never come close to our working vehicles.
Next Steps
We are paying close attention to Sunday’s forecast, as up to 5 centimetres of snow is possible for the City through the overnight hours into Monday morning. Through the weekend, teams will work on removing snowbanks while Supervisors will be out monitoring the transportation network, and teams will be ready to respond to the changing conditions.
Unless conditions warrant the need for our response to change, this will serve as this weekend’s operational update.
