Bumpy roads, salt shortage, lake effect snow: How the region is coping

As dangerously freezing weather persists across the region, CTV’s Rob Cooper finds out how officials are continuing to deal in these extremes.

If you have noticed your drive around the city of Barrie has been a little bit more slippery and a bit more bumpy this year, you wouldn’t be alone.

Moffatt’s Mazda in Barrie says it has seen quite a few vehicles brought in worse for wear because of all the snow and ice covered roads.

“It’s not a smooth surface,” Greg Moffatt, parts manager for Moffatt’s Northwood Mazda said. “The plows are just not cutting down as hard as before and it’s just leaving a lot of snow on the roads.”

The City of Barrie says snow clearing crews have been busy trying to keep up with all the snow but the recent freezing temperatures and a shortage of salt across the province has forced them to approach things a bit differently this season.

“Drivers should be prepared to see more snow pack on the roads,” said Craig Morton, senior operations manager with the City of Barrie. “At least until the near future when we hope to get more salt or the temperatures warm up.”

Weather experts say that’s not going to happen for some time. Salt loses its effectiveness when the temperature hits minus 10. So the city has been forced to take a different approach to try and give drivers a better grip of the roads.

“We tend to be moving more towards a sand salt mix on our primary and secondary roads so you may see more road pack or snow pack on the roads,” said Morton.

Environment Canada says to not expect any kind of break from the frigid weather any time soon.

“We could have 25 straight days in a row with freezing temperatures,” Climatologist Dave Phillips from Environment Canada said. “I mean, that is something that is just unheard of.”

He said most of the snow this season has been lake effect snow. Open water on the Great Lakes has taken its toll on the region and until those bodies of water freeze over, we should expect more of the same snow accumulation.

Despite the squalls, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says ice cover is actually greater than normal.

The Great Lakes average freeze-over sits at around 43 per cent. That number is higher than normal, but far from record-breaking.

With so much open water, the experts say to expect more lake effect snow in the coming weeks.