A winter storm brought a fresh blanket of snow to the nation’s capital, causing numerous collisions and travel delays. The snowfall warning ended around 11 a.m. on Monday. Environment Canada’s forecast calls for periods of snow to continue through the afternoon, with 2 cm of snow expected. 5:15 p.m. - Via Rail update Via Rail said the previously delayed Train 47, which was set to depart Ottawa at 12:23 p.m., will combine its service with Train 59, both of which will launch at 6:03 p.m. “Passengers booked on Train 47 were notified in advance and offered the option to cancel their trip for a full refund or rebook on another service,” Via Rail said. Via Rail also said Train 24 was cancelled between Ottawa and Montreal due to “operational constraints” but the train would operate as scheduled between Montreal and Quebec City. 4:15 p.m. - More than 150 collisions in Ottawa Ottawa police say 154 collisions were reported in the capital since the start of the morning commute up until 3 p.m. “Snowy conditions can make roads unpredictable. Thank you to everyone who slowed down, left extra space, and adjusted their driving to keep themselves and others safe,” police said on social media. Light snow has been falling during the afternoon commute. 2:50 p.m. – cold temperatures to return As the snow moves out of Ottawa, the temperatures will drop. Environment Canada’s forecast calls for a low of -21 C tonight, with the wind chill making it feel like -28 overnight. Ottawa will see lows of -22 C Tuesday night, -17 C on Wednesday night and -20 C on Thursday night. 2:45 p.m. - Via Rail delay Via Rail train 47 has been delayed nearly six hours. The Ottawa to Toronto train was scheduled to depart at 12:23 p.m., but the Via Rail train tracker shows the train is now expected to depart at 6:03 p.m. “The departure of this train will be delayed due to operational constraints,” Via Rail said on its website. 12 p.m. Ottawa continues to cleanup The City of Ottawa says all resources have been deployed to clear the snow off roads and sidewalks. Officials warn the cold temperatures could make things slippery. “We’re still scraping some now off the roads; we’re salting everything now,” Bryden Denyes, Ottawa roads manager, tells Newstalk 580 CFRA’s Ottawa at Work with Patricia Boal. Denyes said the cold temperatures packed down the snow on roads and sidewalks. “Our teams are out there and, also, they’re just starting to plow residential streets right now. People will start seeing equipment out on those streets now,” Denyes said. 11:30 – collisions on the roads Ontario Provincial Police responded to approximately 100 collisions on eastern Ontario roads since 12 a.m. “Most have involved vehicles sliding into the ditch,” the OPP said on social media. “Thankfully, most involved either no injuries or minor injuries.” 10:40 – no shortage of road salt in Ottawa The City of Ottawa insists it has a “sufficient supply” of road salt to meet its needs for the winter. Several Ontario municipalities have reported they are conserving salt, including Barrie and London. “The City has an agreement with its vendor, Windsor Salt, and has confirmed they have sufficient supply to meet the City’s needs for the remainder of the snow season,” Christopher Paquette, area manager of Road Services, said in a statement to CTV Ottawa. “Currently, we do not anticipate any shortages.” 10:25 a.m. – Via Rail cancellations Via Rail says six trains scheduled to travel through Ottawa today have been cancelled due to the winter storm. Via Rail tells CTV News Ottawa that trains 41 and 641 from Ottawa to Toronto and trains 50 and 52 running from Toronto to Ottawa have been cancelled today. VIA Rail train 22 from Ottawa to Quebec City and train 31 from Montreal to Ottawa have also been cancelled. “Due to the ongoing winter storm and infrastructure challenges across the rail network, including heavy snowfall, ice accumulation and switch issues, VIA Rail has cancelled select early-morning services in the Québec City–Windsor Corridor on Monday, January 26, in order to safely reset operations,” Via Rail said in a statement. Via Rail trains 60, 61, 62 and 63 between Montreal and Toronto, through Kingston and eastern Ontario, have also been cancelled. 10:05 a.m. - snowfall totals Environment Canada says a total of 13 cm of snow was recorded at the Ottawa Airport Sunday night and Monday. Gatineau Airport reported 9 cm of snow. 10 a.m. - parking ban in Ottawa The City of Ottawa has issued a winter weather parking ban due to the snow. No parking is permitted on city streets until 7 p.m. to allow crews to plow roads “easily and effectively,” according to the city. Only vehicles with on-street parking permits are allowed to park on city streets. For information on where to park during the winter weather parking ban, click here. 8:40 a.m. – 49 day with snow This is the 49th day of the winter with at least a trace of snow recorded in Ottawa. Environment Canada says Ottawa has seen snow on 21 of 26 days so far this month. Ottawa has already received 159.1 cm of snow since November 1. 8 a.m. - Via Rail Via Rail is warning some trains in the Windsor-Toronto-Kingston-Ottawa-Montreal and Quebec City corridor could be cancelled or delayed due to the weather. According to the Via Rail train tracker, train 41 from Ottawa to Toronto was cancelled. The train was scheduled to depart Ottawa at 5:21 a.m. Via Rail train 50 from Toronto to Ottawa was also cancelled. The train was scheduled to department at 6:32 a.m. Train 52 from Toronto to Ottawa, scheduled to depart at 8:32 a.m., was also cancelled. Via Rail also cancelled train 60 from Toronto to Montreal and train 61 from Montreal to Toronto. 7:40 a.m. - Morning commute It’s a snowy morning commute in Ottawa. A collision slowed the eastbound lanes of Hwy. 417 in the Terry Fox Drive/Kanata Avenue area. The two right lanes and the right shoulder were closed. There is also a collision on Robertson Road at Mill Hill. School buses School buses are running in Ottawa today despite the snowy weather conditions. Buses are running for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, Ottawa Catholic School Board, the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est and the Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario. The Ottawa Student Transportation Authority warns buses may be delayed due to the snow. Buses are cancelled for all schools in eastern Ontario and Renfrew County. Travel by air Travellers are being advised to check their flight status if heading to the Ottawa Airport Monday morning, as severe weather has disrupted travel. Twenty-one departures have been cancelled out of Ottawa on Monday (as of 6 a.m.), including eight flights to Toronto’s Pearson International Airport and Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. Eighty-two flights were scheduled to depart Ottawa on Monday. Forecast Environment Canada’s forecast calls for periods of snow to continue through the day. Ottawa could see up to 25 cm of snow. High -12 C. It will be partly cloudy tonight with a 40 per cent chance of flurries. Low -21 C. Tuesday will be mainly cloudy with a 40 per cent chance of flurries. High -11 C. Wednesday will see a mix of sun and cloud with a 40 per cent chance of flurries. High -9 C. The outlook for Thursday calls for a mix of sun and cloud. High -16 C. Friday will see a mix of sun and cloud. High -10 C. Environment Canda says Ottawa will experience overnight lows of -21 C tonight, -19 C on Tuesday, -18 C on Wednesday and -22 C on Thursday. The normal temperatures for this time of year are a high of -6 C and a low of -15 C.
