A freezing rain warning ended mid-Monday morning after an overnight storm left Ottawa’s roads, sidewalks, and infrastructure in a layer of ice. Read MoreHigh winds expected later Monday could cause damage to ice-coated trees and hydro infrastructure.
High winds expected later Monday could cause damage to ice-coated trees and hydro infrastructure.
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A freezing rain warning ended mid-Monday morning after an overnight storm left Ottawa’s roads, sidewalks, and infrastructure in a layer of ice.
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Environment Canada had forecast as much as 15 to 20 mm of ice build-up from the storm. The freezing rain transitioned to light drizzle later in the morning.
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While Toronto saw an estimated 37 mm of ice accumulation, Ottawa experienced a much lighter coating, with just 3 to 6 mm of ice, according to Trudy Kidd, a meteorologist with Environment Canada.
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The weather service issued a second advisory that strong winds were expected later Monday with gusts as high as 70 km/h, which could cause damage to trees and hydro infrastructure still coated in ice.
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The Evening Citizen
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Commuters faced slick surfaces and treacherous conditions this morning, with roads and walkways becoming icy and slippery. The Ottawa Police warned residents that all non-essential travel should be avoided and to consider rescheduling non-urgent appointments.
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Environment Canada warned that “there may be a significant impact on rush hour traffic.” But by late morning, most roads were moving as normal.
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The Ottawa Police said they responded to 14 collisions (including some rollovers and vehicles sliding into objects). The police said there had been no serious injuries, but urged residents to remain cautious and to drive safely if travel is absolutely necessary.
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More than a dozen flights at Ottawa’s Macdonald–Cartier International Airport were cancelled between Sunday and Monday due to the weather advisory. Fourteen flights were delayed, most bound for Toronto, Winnipeg, or Montreal, with a few international routes also affected.
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The City of Ottawa said that the Significant Weather Event will remain in effect until 7 p.m. Monday night.
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The City’s Public Works, Parks Maintenance, Traffic Services, and Forestry crews are actively treating roads and sidewalks while monitoring for downed trees, mobility issues, and waste collection delays.
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Transit services, including the O-Train lines, buses and Para Transpo, are running and the City will continue monitoring conditions throughout the day.
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Ottawa paramedics said there were no major accidents, injuries or road closures to report because of the storm.
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The high winds will be brought in by a cold front, which will see afternoon temperatures dip to -2 C before falling to -15 C overnight.
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The weather prompted Hydro Ottawa crews to be on standby in anticipation of any power outages. Residents were advised to prepare by charging devices and having emergency supplies on hand.
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Midday Monday, there were no outages were reported on the Hydro Ottawa outage map.
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