01 Mar March 1 & 2 Winter Advisory Update – Extreme Winter Snow Event
I would like to share with residents the following email content received by Public Works to update Members of Council about the March 1 & 2 winter weather event and to highlight the City’s ongoing preparations for the extreme event.
Weather Conditions
The forecast is showing moderate snow to start around 5 pm today with snow intensifying by 8 pm where amounts will range from 1 – 3 cm an hour through the evening and overnight. The Wednesday morning commute will be impacted as the snow will be at its peak during this period, after which the snow event will begin to move out of the area, ending approx. 11am Wednesday. Total accumulations are forecasted to be in the 25 cm range. Temperatures will be cold with a high of -10C on Wednesday and winds of 35 km/h with gusts of 50-55 km/h causing drifting snow and possible white out conditions in outlying areas. Cold temperatures move in Wednesday afternoon and evening reaching -20C overnight.
Preparations
The weather forecast indicates this will be an extreme winter event potentially dumping 25 cm of snow in 15 hours. Road Services staff will start plowing and salting the priority road and sidewalk network at the start of this intense snow event. We will also deploy echelon plows to maximize the movement of snow from the roadways as quickly and efficiently as possible. All sidewalks and bus stop plowing/blowing will also be deployed. Staff will concentrate their efforts on the priority network ensuring the movement of transit and the travel of commuters using the arterial roads. Transition into the local residential streets will follow as resources become available from the priority network.
The Overnight Parking Ban will be in effect.
Information for Residents
Information will be provided to residents through ottawa.ca and social media.
On ottawa.ca, a seasonal “Winter Weather” banner will direct residents to a web page that will provide information on the weather, including updates on City operations and tips on what residents can do to prepare for and during weather events. It will also inform residents they can make weather related service requests through Service Ottawa’s online service request system.