Holiday storm watch: Icy streets; power outages slowly recover; winter parking ban to end Saturday morning

Watch this file for updates on the snowstorm that the City of Ottawa has declared a “significant weather event” as we track cancellations, closures, parking bans and more

Vehicles navigate flooded Hunt Club Road near Merivale Road on Friday, Dec. 23, 2022 Photo by Errol McGihon /POSTMEDIA

Christmas storm: Latest developments at a glance

Friday night: Periods of snow, with a rain-snow mix early in the evening, plus local blowing snow. Snowfall amounts of up to 5 cm are expected. Winds out of the southwest at 40 km/h, gusting to 80 km/h and a wind chill making it feel like -19 C overnight.
Hydro Ottawa was reporting 600 clients were still without power as of just before 6 p.m. High winds hampered repair efforts earlier in the day but power was restored for at least 100,000 customers.
Outages have affected traffic lights, ‘treat as four-way stops’ across the city if you encounter outages.
OC Transpo reported the system was slow, but steady with streets in rough condition.
As of Thursday evening, the city was not anticipating an impact on residential waste collection.
All schools closed in region
The city reminded people to prepare their emergency suppliers for any power disruptions.
All branches of Ottawa Public Library were closed on Friday. All public library Bookmobile stops were cancelled, as were deliveries by the Library’s Homebound services.
War Museum, Museum of Nature and Museum of History closed
City recreation and cultural facilities closed
City client service centres and all other counter services closed
A winter weather parking ban is in effect until at least 7 a.m. Saturday.
Read more about what’s open in closed over the holidays in Ottawa by clicking here.

It’s official: The City of Ottawa on Friday is dealing with a “significant weather event.”

Others have less polite descriptions.

The capital awoke to slippery streets, gusty winds, and mixed precipitation alternating overnight between rain, freezing rain and snow overnight.

There were reports of freezing rain in spots this morning with snow and ice pellets amounting to two to four cm. Winds are expected to hit 40 km/h with gusting to up to 80 km/h into Friday night.

Saturday is looking like flurries with local blowing snow, amounting to 2 cm, according to Environment Canada. Expect a high of -6 C with a wind chill near -19 C. Winds out of the southwest at 40 km/h, gusting to 80 km/h.

Santa can expect a rough ride for his big night.

Flurries are forecast overnight Christmas Eve, with more local blowing snow in the evening and after midnight. Winds are predicted to go down, hitting 40 km/h and gusting to 60 km/h before diminishing to speeds of 20 km/h and gusts of 40 km/h after midnight. The federal weather agency expects temperatures to be steady near -8 C, with a wind chill near -18 C.

Vehicles navigate flooded Hunt Club Road near Merivale Road. Photo by Errol McGihon /POSTMEDIA

Environment Canada cautioned Friday that conditions would be ripe for a “flash freeze,” creating glass-like traction conditions.

Road conditions were slippery and residents were asked to stay off the roads as much as possible during the storm.

The Ottawa Police Services reported about two dozen collisions since midnight in the early afternoon, most of these involving vehicles going off the road.

Police urged residents who have to drive or commute to make safety the first priority, be sure to clear snow off their vehicle to allow for visibility and to prevent creating a hazard with snow or ice flying off the car.

“By minimizing travel, you help keep the roads clear for roads crews and emergency vehicles,” read a City of Ottawa release.

“Please stay home (Friday) unless it is absolutely necessary. Anyone who is required to travel during this event is asked to plan ahead and give themselves extra travel time.”

Here’s what you need to know about cancellations, closures, parking bans and more.

A pickup truck with plough clears slush and snow from a commercial parking lot near Hunt Club and Merivale Road. Photo by Errol McGihon /POSTMEDIA

At the Ottawa International Airport, cancellations and delays continued to mount in what had been expected to be the busiest travel season since 2019.

Airport officials warned that messy weather in Ottawa and elsewhere have resulted in schedule changes, and warned travellers to check their flight status before going to the airport.

By early Friday, almost a third of the day’s departures had been cancelled or delayed, with cancellations starting to appear for Saturday.

HYDRO, TRANSPO

By 5:45 p.m., Hydro Ottawa had restored power to more than 117,000 customers, with 600 still without power.

The utility said the majority of those customers would see their power restored by midnight, but that the neighbourhoods of Champlain Park and Dunrobin would not have power until Saturday morning. Crews were working overnight into Saturday.

At the start of the day, the hardest hit areas were in the south end of the city, with widespread outages reported in Barrhaven, Riverside South and Manotick.

However, by mid-afternoon, Hydro Ottawa was reporting no outages in those communities.

Outages have affected traffic lights across the city.

As usual, police and hydro advise motorists to treat intersections with blinking lights as four-way stops.

Hydro Ottawa notes that flickering lights can be due to a phenomenon known as “slapping circuits,” when overhead lines collide with one another, usually due to high winds.

Meanwhile, OC Transpo reported the system was slow, with streets in rough condition.

The O-Train ran through the night to keep tracks and equipment warn.

One glitch was encountered due to a fire alarm at Rideau station. Buses were briefly in use between Parliament and Lees station.

Line 1: Rideau Station is CLOSED due to an active fire alarm. Full service is running, but trains will NOT stop at Rideau Station. Shuttle service available between Parliament and Lees stations. Updates to follow. https://t.co/p78gHemDXJ

— OC Transpo Live (@OCTranspoLive) December 23, 2022

CANCELLATIONS

Friday was officially a snow day for students and staff in the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board network and the Ottawa Catholic School Board.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

The city reminded people to prepare their emergency suppliers for any power disruptions.

Emergency kits “should contain flashlights, battery or crank radios, extra batteries, water and canned food.

“Please look out for each other. Have a conversation now with neighbours, friends and family members about how to stay in touch with each other in the event of an emergency. Plan to check in with each other if one of you lives in a community that is affected by an emergency.”

In the event of any emergency, the City of Ottawa would provide updates to affected residents via its website (ottawa.ca), its Twitter account (@ottawacity), by email to subscribers of the city’s e-newsletter and via media releases sent to news organizations.

For more information on City programs and services, visit ottawa.ca, call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401) or 613-580-2400 to contact the City using Canada Video Relay Service. You can also connect with us through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

CLOSURES

All branches of Ottawa Public Library were closed on Friday but will reopen on Saturday. All public library Bookmobile stops and homebound deliveries will continue as scheduled.

Due dates for regular library items were extended until Dec. 27, 2022. Expiry dates for holds pickup were extended until Jan. 2, 2023.

Book drops to return library items remained open. Branches were expected to open on Saturday, Dec. 24 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Canadian Museum of Nature was also closed Friday. The museum said ticketholders would receive an automatic refund. It was set to reopen as scheduled on Monday, Dec. 26 with special holiday programming and activities.

The Canadian Museum of History and the Canadian War Museum were closed to visitors and all other groups on Dec. 23 and Dec. 24, with plans to open once again on Dec. 27. All on-site events and programs have also been cancelled.

All of the City of Ottawa’s recreation and cultural facilities with scheduled activities and rentals are to be open on Saturday. The city guided people to check facility websites for holiday schedules.

were closed on Friday and all drop-in activities, programs and rentals will be cancelled. All other city facilities, including City Hall and the Mary Pitt Centre, remained open with certain exceptions.

All city client service centres and all other counter services were closed. Civil ceremonies scheduled were not to be impacted.

All municipal child-care centres were closed.

PARKING BANS:

A winter weather parking ban went into effect at 10 a.m. So far, the ban’s scheduled to be lifted at 7 a.m. Saturday.

During the ban, parking is prohibited on city streets so crews can plow easily and effectively. Vehicles parked on the street during a ban may be ticketed and towed. Though on-street monthly parking permit holders are exempt from this restriction when they are parked in residential parking permit zones, we encourage those who can, to find off-street parking options to avoid getting snowed in.

During the ban, residents will have access to select OC Transpo park and rides as well as certain recreation centres. Some City parking garages are available for parking during winter parking bans, however it is important that residents take note of what time they need to remove their car. Visit ottawa.ca/winterparking for more information about which City facilities are available.

“Roads and Parking Services partnered with Parks Maintenance and Forestry Services, the Recreation, Cultural and Facility Services team as well as the Ottawa Public Library to provide temporary off-street parking options at City of Ottawa Recreation Facilities with parking lots and Ottawa Public Libraries,” the city said in a release.

“Please be aware that given the forecast, surface of these lots may be icy and/or covered with snow.”

The city urges people to exercise caution on sidewalks, roads and the winter cycling network.

GATINEAU:

The City of Gatineau announced a winter parking ban beginning at midnight Thursday and lasting until further notice.

Go to gatineau.ca for more information on snow removal operations and other storm measures.

Occupants of a car that slid into the median on Highway 416 northbound near Highway 417. Photo by Errol McGihon /POSTMEDIA

With files from Joanne Laucius and The Canadian Press

AUDIENCE CALLOUT

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