Fallen trees, flat tires and freezing temperatures greeted Ottawa residents today as a wicked wind and flash freeze blew into our region.  The temperature drop of more than 20 degrees has prompted Ottawa Public Health to issue a frostbite warning for tonight and tomorrow morning.

There were pockets of power outages throughout the region.

The drive along the Rockcliffe Parkway this morning took a nasty turn for about 16 motorists.

Giant potholes appeared overnight and popped their tires or damaged their undercarriage.

City of Ottawa crews rushed to patch the road.

The return of cold weather means Winterlude can unwrap ice sculptures and reopen the Rideau Canal Skateway.

The portion between the Bank Street Bridge to the Pretoria Bridge will be open at 2 pm.

The SnowFlake Kingdom with the ice slides wont be ready until Saturday at 9am.

The Crystal Garden at Confederation Park will be open as scheduled Friday at 8 am.

The official opening for the 35th edition of Winterlude will start at 7pm Friday night at Ottawa City Hall.