Library programs at the St. Laurent library branch - January
It seems that unpredictability continues to be the theme for this winter season as this morning, the City of Ottawa woke up to a freezing rain warning from Environment Canada.
While the warning may now have ended, conditions this morning may not be ideal.
Forecast and Conditions
Yesterday afternoon, precipitations began in the south as periods of freezing drizzle and light freezing rain, as the north had its start with snow. The core, however got a combination of the two. Overnight, this wintery mix changed to periods of light freezing rain mixed with ice pellets that continued throughout this morning’s early hours.
While the bulk of the precipitations are behind us, please prepare yourselves for this morning’s commute as periods of freezing drizzle and light snow remain in the forecast. The temperature is expected to slowly rise this morning, causing fog patches in some areas of the City. With the recent precipitations and this morning’s forecast, some ice build up on our surfaces is highly possible
Please exercise caution while walking, driving or cycling today as conditions on sections of our network that have yet to be treated are expected to be slippery. If you can, please leave earlier than planned and adjust to the conditions of the transportation network.
Our Response
While the weather may have come as a surprise, our teams – as always – were ready. At the start of precipitations, Roads and Parking Services began treating priority sidewalks, priority roads and the winter cycling network. Efforts continued overnight, and crews will work throughout the day before their focus turns to treating residential neighbourhoods.
Our focus at the moment is responding to current conditions, while snow removal operations continue in parallel on arterial and collector roads and within our business districts. A more detailed update on the status of these operations will follow later this week.
Next Steps
We will continue responding to the conditions while keeping a close eye on the forecast. We are expecting another winter weather event to reach Ottawa tomorrow evening, possibly bringing 5 to 10 centimetres of snow by Friday. Should this hold steady, we will adjust our response as needed and provide you with another update on the event tomorrow.
