First snowfall of the season to hit Ottawa on Wednesday

The OTTAWA sign in the ByWard Market. (Josh Pringle/CTV News Ottawa)

You will want to track down the shovel, winter boots and clothing in your house today, as the capital braces for the first blast of winter weather this season.

Environment Canada has issued a winter weather travel advisory for Ottawa, calling for 5 cm of snow on Wednesday.

"An approaching low pressure system will make its way over the lower Great Lakes tonight into Wednesday, bringing snow for much of southern Ontario," Environment Canada said Tuesday afternoon.

"Snowfall is expected to begin during the morning commute, when temperatures will be below freezing, creating hazardous driving conditions."

The snow is expected to begin early Wednesday morning in Ottawa, and end early in the evening.

The winter weather travel advisory stretches from the Ontario-Quebec boundary to Toronto and southern Ontario.

Brockville, Cornwall and Kingston could also see 5 to 10 cm of snow, while Pembroke and the Ottawa Valley could see 2 to 4 cm of snow.

The Ottawa Airport is advising travellers to check their flight status before heading to the airport on Wednesday.

FORECAST

The forecast calls for cloudy with a chance of flurries overnight. Amount 2 cm of snow. Low minus 3 C, with the wind chill making it feel like minus 8 degrees overnight.

Snow on Wednesday. Amount 2 to 4 cm. High 0 C.

Thursday will see a mix of sun and cloud, with a high of minus 1 C.

The outlook for Friday, Saturday and Sunday is cloudy with a chance of flurries on all three days.

The normal temperatures for this time of year are a high of 4 C and a low of minus 3 C.

SNOW FALL

Wednesday's 5 to 10 cm of snow would be the capital's first significant snowfall of the year.

Last year, the first recorded snowfall at the Ottawa Airport was on Nov. 15, with 1.5 cm of snow. Ottawa received a total of 2.8 cm of snow in November 2021.

A total of 23 cm of snow was recorded in November 2020.