It seems Mother Nature has decided to make her presence known early this year, but that’s okay, the Roads and Parking Services team is ready! Here comes our first weather event of the season, so let the 2023/24 winter operations updates begin!
Forecast and conditions
Environment Canada has issued a Special Weather Statement for the Ottawa region with snow and ice pellets expected to begin tonight before transitioning to freezing rain late overnight into Thursday morning. Precipitation is expected to change to rain late Thursday morning or Thursday afternoon as temperatures rise above freezing. Total snowfall and ice pellet amounts near 5 centimetres are possible.
The snow, ice pellets and freezing rain may impact the Thursday morning commute. Residents are reminded to exercise caution while using all of our transportation networks.
Our response
This is the first winter event of the season, it definitely won’t be the last, but crews are ready to respond. Tomorrow morning, crews will be working on clearing and treating priority sidewalks, roads and the winter cycling network. This is their first deployment of equipment this season, and we are asking for your patience as operations may take longer than normal as staff get used to their newly assigned routes and as they adjust to the variable weather conditions.
Reminder on what to expect this winter
As we embark on this winter season, it’s a good time to remind you that Roads and Parking Services works very closely with their partners across the corporation to ensure our response to winter weather events meets the needs of our residents, businesses and visitors. The department regularly monitors the weather to determine how and when they respond to winter events based on the forecast and conditions of each incoming storm. Their response is driven by the Maintenance Quality Standards (MQS) which defines the desirable level of service, or the standard to which a sidewalk or road gets maintained.
Updates will be posted to Ottawa.ca and the Rideau-Rockcliffe Ward 13 website, along with information about Significant Weather Events or Winter Weather Parking Bans.
- Need help clearing your driveway and/or walkway during the winter? For information on City’s Snow Go and Snow Go Assist Programs visit Help around the home on Ottawa.ca.
- Please clear your local catch basin from leaves and debris to allow as much water as possible to drain from the road. Click here for the catch basin locator map.
Next steps
The Roads and Parking Services team will continue to monitor the weather over the next 36 hours and adjust their response accordingly.
Staff are committed to making Ottawa’s transportation network safe and passable for all users.