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Ottawa

32 cm of snow pummels Ottawa, more snow on the way this weekend

By Josh Pringle

Updated: 

Published: 

A major winter storm disrupted travel by car, O-Train, buses and airplanes across Ottawa today, with more snow expected over the Family Day weekend.

As of 4 p.m. 32 cm of snow was recorded at the Ottawa Airport and 37 cm was recorded at the Gatineau Airport.

A winter storm warning for Ottawa ended at around 3:20 p.m., with the forecast calling for a 40 per cent chance of flurries and local blowing snow in the evening.

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Snow for Sale! I would like to share my photo of the snow we received this weekend. It's for sale. Let's have a laugh after this storm. (Louis-Serge Robillard/CTV Viewer)

The City of Ottawa declared a “Significant Weather Event,” warning there will be a prolonged cleanup from the storm. Staff say it’s “all hands-on deck” for its crews to clear the snow.

“It’s still pretty tight out there. Lots of snow, visibility is low,” Bryden Denyes, city road manager, told CTV Morning Live.

“All of the staff are out working away, really focusing on the priority roads in anticipation of moving into our residential snow-clearing operations. Traffic volumes are fairly light, so that is helping us get through.”

Denyes says the “main focus” is on the priority road network and priority sidewalk network, including major roads and arterials, Highway 174 and the Transitway, and crews will begin clearing residential streets through the day.

Ottawa snow A City of Ottawa snowplow clears the road at Elgin Street and Laurier Avenue Thursday morning. (Josh Pringle/CTV News Ottawa)

O-Train service was disrupted several times through the day, as snow accumulation and blowing snow caused issues with switches and the track infrastructure.

“We can expect that there will be continuous challenges to service throughout the day, however, crews are immobilized across the entire O-Train system and are addressing those issues as soon as they arise,” Transit Services general manager Renée Amilcar told the Transit Committee.

OC Transpo implemented a Severe Storm Schedule, with reduced bus service on most routes. The transit service has also parked most of its articulated buses, replacing the buses with the 40-foot and double-decker buses.

The City of Ottawa has issued daytime parking bans for Thursday and Friday due to the storm. A parking ban will be in effect between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. today, and then from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday. During a winter weather parking ban, only vehicles with a residential parking permit are allowed to park on city streets.

The storm forced the cancellation of school buses in Ottawa, while all schools in eastern Ontario and the Ottawa Valley were closed for the day. Algonquin College and St. Lawrence College cancelled classes today due to the storm.

Travellers are being urged to check their flight status before heading to the airport today. Twenty-four fights have been cancelled out of Ottawa today to several destinations, including Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, Vancouver, Calgary and Fort Lauderdale, Florida due to the storm.

Environment Canada’s “significant weather outlook” for Saturday and Sunday warns another low-pressure system will hit the region over the weekend. The outlook for 5-10 cm of snow Saturday, with another 10-15 cm on Sunday.

Ottawa’s forecast

Environment Canada’s forecast calls for snow ending this afternoon then cloudy with a 30 per cent chance of flurries. High -3 C.

Partly cloudy with a 40 per cent chance of flurries and local blowing snow this evening. Low -12 C.

Mainly sunny on Friday. High -9 C.

More snow is in the forecast for the weekend.

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