Winter storm hits Ottawa, with 30-40 cm of snow expected by Thursday afternoon

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Biggest snowstorm of the season on the way

City of Ottawa preparing as winter storm on the way

A major winter storm hit Ottawa Wednesday night, expected to bury the capital with the largest accumulation of snow in more than three years.

Environment Canada has issued a winter storm warning for Ottawa, calling for 30 to 40 centimetres of snow over an 18-hour period.

In preparation for the storm, school buses have been cancelled for all Ottawa public and Catholic schools on Thursday, OC Transpo will reduce bus service, and the city has issued daytime parking bans for Thursday and Friday to assist with snow-clearing operations.

More than a dozen flights have been cancelled at the Ottawa Airport for Thursday

“Snow, at times heavy, will begin this evening. Total amounts of up to 40 cm are likely,” Environment Canada said, adding the heaviest snow will fall overnight into Thursday morning.

“Moderate winds will produce local blowing snow, especially in the Ottawa River Valley. This winter storm will impact the Thursday morning commute. Snow will gradually taper off Thursday afternoon.”

• Here’s how the city of Ottawa will clear 30-40 cm of snow over the next two days

Motorists are being told to avoid travel tonight and Thursday morning, with snowfall rates exceeding 5 centimetres per hour.

“Rapidly accumulating snow will make travel difficult. Road closures are possible. There may be a significant impact on rush hour traffic in urban areas.”

Environment Canada is calling for 15 to 25 cm of snow tonight and overnight, with another 10 to 15 cm of snow on Thursday.

• OC Transpo reducing bus service, parking articulated buses on Thursday due to significant snowstorm

Environment Canada meteorologist Geoff Coulson says the storm is approaching from the Texas area.

“Expecting it to move into southwestern Ontario this afternoon and make it into the Ottawa area by 8 o’clock this evening,” Coulson told CTV Morning Live.

“Big impacts from this event for the Ottawa Valley, mostly due to the snow accumulations.”

• School buses cancelled in Ottawa on Thursday due to major storm

This will be the biggest snowstorm to hit Ottawa in three years. The capital received 47.8 cm on Jan. 17, 2022.

“Not something we’ve seen over the last little while and certainly something people need to be prepared for,” Coulson said.

The City of Ottawa says while its fleet of snowplows will be deployed as soon as the snowstorm begins, it will take a while to cleanup the roads and sidewalks.

“When we get through this storm, it will probably be later in the day Thursday, we’re going to have to look at plowing residential streets,” Bryden Denyes, area manager – special operations, told CTV Morning Live.

“We’re going to have to look at opening and cleaning stuff up, so there will be a prolonged response to this storm from our crews.”

Ottawa has more than 500 pieces of equipment for winter operations, including graders, loaders, sidewalk plows and salt trucks. The city has said roads and sidewalks are cleared based on their “usage volume and priority level,” starting with major roads and arterials, Highway 174 and the Transitway. The snow clearing will begin on the high-priority roads and sidewalks at the start of the storm.

The winter storm warning is also in effect for Cornwall, Kemptville, Merrickville and Alexandria, with some areas seeing 20 to 30 centimetres of snow tonight into Thursday afternoon. The winter storm warning for Prescott-Russell, Smiths Falls, Perth, Eastern Lanark County, Petawawa, Pembroke, Arnprior, Renfrew, and Calabogie calls for 30 to 40 cm.

A snowfall warning is in effect for Brockville, Prescott, Gananoque, Kingston and Napanee, calling for 15 to 25 centimetres of snow and the risk of ice pellets Thursday morning.

Environment Canada warns another storm will hit Ottawa over the Family Day weekend.

“Very active storm track through the lower Great Lakes over the next few days,” Coulson said.

“The next system getting itself together will be from Colorado, moving northeast towards southern and eastern Ontario. Likely seeing snow beginning in the Ottawa area Saturday morning and that snow continuing right through into Sunday evening.”

River Ward Coun. Riley Brockington says recreation and cultural programs will be cancelled Thursday until 4 p.m., including before and after school programs.

Winter Weather Parking Ban

The City of Ottawa is declaring back-to-back winter weather parking bans to allow crews to clean up the snow.

The parking bans will be in effect from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, and then from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday.

The city issues a winter weather parking ban when more than 7 cm of snow is in the forecast.

During a winter weather parking ban, only vehicles with a residential parking permit are allowed to park on city streets.

The city says the following park and ride locations are open for parking during a winter weather parking ban:

• Riverview (at Earl Armstrong)
• Innovation (at Innovation Drive)
• Chapel Hill
• Nepean Woods (at Strandherd Drive)
• Greenboro
• Leitrim
• Eagleson (west lot)

“The locations have designated parking areas, clearly marked with directional signs and parking signs, indicating that Winter Weather Parking is available during a ban. These spaces will be opened to residents during the parking ban,” the city says on its website.

Here are other temporary parking locations during a winter weather parking ban:

• Richelieu Vanier Community Centre – 300 des Peres-Blancs Avenue
• Louis Kemp Arena – 200 Glen Park Drive
• W. Erskine Johnson Arena – 3832 Carp Road
• Cardelrec Recreation Complex Golbourn – 1500 Shea Road
• Ron Kolbus Lakeside Centre – 102 Greenview Avenue
• Pinecrest Recreation Complex – 2250 Torquay Avenue
• Nepean Sportsplex – 1701 Woodroffe Avenue
• Greenboro Library – 363 Lorry Greenberg Drive
• Earl Armstrong Arena – 2020 Ogilvie Road
• Dr John Hopps Park – 300 Den Haag Drive
• Sunnyside Library – 1049 Bank Street
• Jim Durrell Recreation Complex – 1265 Walkley Road
• Osgoode Community Centre and Stuart Holmes Arena – 5660 Osgoode Main Street
• Manotick Library – 5499 South River Drive
• Fred Barrett Arena – 3280 Leitrim Road
• Hazeldean Library – 50 Castlefrank Road
• Hunt Club-Riverside Park Community Centre – 3320 Paul Anka Drive
• Sandy Hill Arena – 60 Mann Avenue
• Ruth E. Dickinson Library – 100 Malvern Drive
• Tony Graham Recreation Complex – 100 Charlie Rogers Place
• Minto Recreation Complex – 3500 Cambrian Road
• Ray Friel Recreation Complex – 1585 Tenth Line Road
• Tom Brown Arena – 141 Bayview Station Road
• Strathcona Park – 25 Range Road
• Jules Morin Park – 400 Clarence Street
• Centrepointe Park – 260 Centrepointe Drive