Ottawa sees record snowfall with 51.2 cm in one day

51.2 centimetres of fresh snow was recorded at the Ottawa airport as Tuesday came to a close, breaking a record set in 1947 for snowfall in a single day.

The previous recorded mark was set on Mar. 2, 1947, when 40.6 cm fell.

• Ian Black's CBC Ottawa weather page
• Ottawa-Gatineau school bus cancellations
• Ottawa and Gatineau traffic updates for Feb. 16

Naturally, all of that snow made the morning and especially the afternoon commute a mess.

Ottawa police warned motorists against non-essential travel, pointing to 120 crashes on city roads between 5 a.m. and 5 p.m.

There was also the risk of as much as 25 to 40 centimetres of snow in the Brockville and Cornwall areas, with a risk of freezing rain and ice pellets near the St. Lawrence River, according to Environment Canada.

Closures throughout Ottawa

There were no school buses running for any of the eastern Ontario school boards except in Pembroke. Buses are still running in western Quebec. Lisgar Collegiate Institute in Ottawa was closed today because of flooding caused by burst pipes, according to the school board.

Students and their families are asked to check the school website and board website for updates, but for now the school's website says it is expected to reopen on Wednesday.

The Ottawa Carleton District School Board said all community events and activities on school facilities have been cancelled Tuesday evening, as has the board's committee of the whole meeting scheduled for Tuesday night.

Some federal government departments such as Employment and Social Development Canada, also sent people home because of the storm. Many but not all workers were sent home at other departments, such as National Defence.

Algonquin College also closed its Ottawa and Perth, Ont., campuses.

Travel slowed

Ottawa police are reminding people to adjust their driving due to the weather, while OPP ask commuters to take their time and have warm clothes on hand in case anything goes wrong.

The Ottawa International Airport Authority is asking people planning to fly or meet someone to check their website for delays or cancellations.

OC Transpo is posting cancelled or delayed trips on its Twitter account and on its service update page. For a group of commuters headed to Richmond and Munster, the wait hit three hours on Tuesday afternoon.

Gatineau's STO is asking riders to check its Infobus service.

The City of Ottawa says its new "Where's My Plow" app to track approximate arrival times of snowplows on residential streets will be available when plows start to transition from major roads.

The city has also put its overnight parking ban in effect for Tuesday night, banning people from parking on city streets so plows can do their work. Parking is free at city-owned parking garages while these bans are in effect.

Sens game goes ahead

The Ottawa Senators went ahead with a scheduled game against the Buffalo Sabres at the Canadian Tire Centre.

Senators spokesperson Brian Morris encouraged fans to "give themselves plenty of extra time on the way to the game."

In an email later Tuesday evening, Morris said all fans who made it to the game despite the storm would be given 50 per cent off tickets to Thursday's game against the Carolina Hurricanes or next Tuesday's game against the Minnesota Wild

"Those fans unable to make it to tonight's game due to the weather will be offered a free ticket (of same price point) to the same games," he said.

As for event cancellations, Ottawa 2017 has pushed back an "eclectic signature event" announcement scheduled for Tuesday evening on a downtown rooftop to Wednesday evening because of the weather.