Forecast and conditions
Periods of light snow are forecasted to begin Saturday night and will continue overnight into Sunday, with 5 to 10 centimetres expected by late Sunday afternoon.
Slippery conditions are expected, and residents are reminded to exercise caution while using all our transportation networks.
Our response
The Roads and Parking services team is ready to respond! Once accumulation begins, crews will be working on treating sidewalks, roads, bus routes, the Transitway and the winter cycling network. Parks Maintenance will also be out clearing emergency service stations, libraries and community centers as well as some City facility parking lots. As it is still early in the season, we are asking for your patience as operations will take longer than normal. Our operators are settling into their newly assigned routes, adapting to the conditions of the transportation network while remaining mindful that the ground is still soft and taking care to avoid damaging lawns. Please be patient as our crews navigate these conditions.
Did you know?
- It takes Public Works approximately 575 pieces of winter equipment (owned, leased, and contracted) to clear and treat Ottawa’s transportation network
- The City of Ottawa is the fourth largest city in Canada. Its geographic area covers 2,796 km2 – an area larger than Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton combined! Of this area, 2,236 km2 is rural (80%), which is half the size of PEI.
- Public Works’ heavy equipment operators treat and clear over 13,000 lane kilometres of roadway including the Transitway and Highway 174. That’s a distance further than driving from Halifax to Vancouver AND BACK – in a snowstorm!
- Public Works’ sidewalk machine operators work 24/7 to clear and treat over 2500 kilometres of sidewalks – that’s a road trip from City Hall to Saskatoon!
Next steps
The Roads and Parking Services team will continue to monitor the forecast and the transportation network over the weekend, and crews will be deployed as required.
