The great Wednesday snowstorm cleanup begins
CBC News | Posted: February 13, 2019 9:00 AM | Last Updated: February 13, 2019
30 cm of snow has fallen at the Ottawa airport
The snowstorm we have been dreading is over, but the cleanup will take a bit longer.
Snow started falling around 4 p.m. on Tuesday and transitioned to flurries this morning in Ottawa.
It was originally supposed to start dwindling away late this afternoon.
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Winter storm warnings have been lifted.
As of 11 a.m., 30 centimetres of snow had fallen at the Ottawa International Airport — 20 of that on Tuesday.
"Roads were definitely drivable for the priority road network this morning," said Bryden Denyes, the City of Ottawa's area manager for core roads.
"The messaging for people to make alternate arrangements [to not come to work] definitely helped. More cars off the roads helps us clear the roads more efficiently."
Denyes said the city started plowing residential streets between 6:30 and 7 a.m.
"There's really no way to avoid having [snow piles] at the end of those roads," he said.
"We need to make sure the transit system is functioning and priority roads are working … We try to get in as fast as we can to open [residential streets] up."
He said people should see a difference in the shape of residential streets and sidewalks by Thursday morning at the latest.
Many cancellations
Schools across Ottawa and many in the region are cancelled for Wednesday and many federal workers are being encouraged to work from home
Overnight parking bans are in place and public meetings are also postponed.
Waste pickup is postponed today in Ottawa and Gatineau.
The upside here is that temperatures will come up a bit.
Environment Canada is predicting a high of –1 C, with an overnight low of –11 C.
It clears up on Thursday, with a high of –4 C, then snow comes back that night that will turn into rain on Friday.