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It will take days to dig out of a winter storm that will hit Ottawa starting Saturday, the city has warned as residents braced for the second major storm in five days.
The capital region was expecting another “highly impactful winter storm” that could bring 25 to 40 centimetres of snow beginning Saturday afternoon or evening and ending Sunday evening,” said Environment Canada, which issued a winter storm warning.
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The heaviest snow is expected Sunday. The wind will be 30 km/h with gusts to 50, causing blowing and drifting snow in open areas. Visibility will be suddenly reduced to near zero at times with heavy snow and blowing snow.
In all, five to 10 centimetres of snow was expected to fall Saturday followed by as much as 30 centimetres more on Sunday, Environment Canada said.
While acknowledging that there was still some cleaning up to be done from the storm that swept into the region starting overnight Thursday, city officials asked residents to be patient and prepared.
“The team has worked tirelessly to clean up from the last major weather event, and we recognize there are some areas of the city where snowbanks are high and sidewalks and roads are narrow,” said Jake Gravelle, the city’s area manager of urban, roads and parking services.
There simply wasn’t enough time to get to it all ahead of this incoming snowstorm, Gravelle said.
“As the snow accumulates, there will be significant challenges for our operators to clear and treat the transportation network, and we know operations will be slow going. It is extremely important to be patient and understand that it will be challenging for everyone to get around the city during this event and beyond.”
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The city’s public works department has activated its emergency command centre. Once accumulation begins, city crews will focus on treating and clearing sidewalks, priority roads, bus routes, the Transitway and the winter cycling network.
Parks maintenance workers will also be out in full force, clearing city facility parking lots and prioritizing fire and paramedic stations, as well as lots serving recreation centres.
“We know that we will not be meeting our winter maintenance timeline objectives, so the significant weather event remains in effect as snow clearing and treating operations will take longer than usual,” Gravelle said.
“This is not your typical storm, and we anticipate that multiple passes will be required to clear and treat conditions on the transportation network. Given the snowfall rate, once a plow has passed, it will very quickly look like it hasn’t been there, but rest assured crews are out in full force.”
The winter parking ban was to take effect starting at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 16, and to remain in place until the city issued an updated notice.
During this time, all vehicles must be removed from the roadway unless you have an eligible parking permit or are accessing parking in an exempted commercial main street.
Though eligible parking permit holders are exempt, the city encouraged those who could to try to find alternate parking during this time to prevent their vehicles from being snowed in.
The City of Ottawa has several parking lots available for residents to park in during a winter street parking ban. Vehicles may remain parked at these sites for the duration of the ban and must be removed after the city announces that the ban has been lifted. Information on all parking options during a winter weather parking ban is available online at Ottawa.ca/winterparking.
Residents can find out more about winter weather parking bans by signing up for e-alerts at Ottawa.ca or by downloading the City of Ottawa app.
Gravelle said the city would be working to keep Ottawa’s sidewalks, roads and the winter cycling network treated and clear.
If you see a sidewalk plow approaching, step aside into an open driveway. Always remember to stay at least three car lengths behind city vehicles. “Please never pass our vehicles,” Gravelle said.
There is no need to create a service request for routine snow clearing, he said.
“We’re on the job and our efforts are currently needed out in the community; service requests should only be created for emergencies.”
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The city also encouraged residents to complete their errands before the storm started late Saturday afternoon and to avoid travel whenever possible. Those who must travel were asked to plan ahead and to give themselves extra travel time.
The City of Gatineau enacted on-street parking bans between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m Sunday and from midnight to 6 a.m. on Monday.
The Ontario Provincial Police have already urged people to cancel any “non-essential travel plans” this weekend.
“If you do have to be on the roads, adjust your driving. Slow down, leave extra distance and ensure you clear snow from your entire vehicle,” police said on X, formerly Twitter.
The forecast for Monday is mainly cloudy with a 60-per-cent chance of snow and a high of -9 C.
Tuesday’s forecast is mainly cloudy, with a high of -10 C.
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