Saved by the beep! Wake Up and check your alarms with Ottawa Fire Services
An update from the City of Ottawa's Roads and Parking Services Department.
This morning, residents are waking up to see that Ottawa did not get the snow that Environment Canada forecasted. Instead, most of the precipitations came down as rain and freezing rain, covering the transportation network with ice. Users of our transportation network today should travel with extra care as parts of the network that have yet to be treated are icy and will be difficult to navigate.
Forecast and Conditions
Freezing rain began last night at around 10 pm and continued overnight, accumulating on our transportation network. While the bulk of the precipitations are behind us, light freezing rain or freezing drizzle is in this morning’s forecast, possibly adding another slight accretion of ice onto our network. With freezing drizzle continuing through to this afternoon, precipitations are expected to come to an end as the temperature is set to rise to just above the freezing mark. There is a chance that this afternoon’s precipitation will transition to scattered flurries, which are expected to continue through the evening and overnight.
Surface conditions on sidewalks, roads, and the winter cycling network could be icy and slippery. If you are out travelling, please adjust to the conditions of the transportation network. Take your time, leave early and always give yourself plenty of extra space to stop.
Our Response
Teams were deployed last night and began treating priority sidewalks, priority roads and the winter cycling network. Working through the overnight hours and into this morning, staff continued treating the priority network and will start to reach residential neighbourhoods through the morning hours. Once the residential network is complete, efforts will shift to addressing problem spots such as bus stops, intersections, corners, and crosswalks.
Next Steps
Looking ahead at this week, we are seeing some light snow in tomorrow’s forecast, with the possibility of mixed precipitations. At this time, precipitation levels are low but as always, we are ready to respond to the conditions as needed.
