Ottawa blanketed by first big blast of snow

Commuters should expect a wintry mix of heavy snow and some freezing rain as they head out the door on Monday morning.

Environment Canada says snow is expected to taper off today with additional snowfall amounts near 5 cm expected.

The City of Ottawa is reminding residents to take extra care when walking, cycling or driving.

A winter storm warning and travel advisory that were in effect early Monday have been called off. 

Conditions remain icy and drivers should remain cautious on the roads.

The high temperatures will remain around the freezing point with a wind chill of minus 4 C.

Light snow will continue into tonight with a 40 per cent chance of flurries.

OC Transpo

Buses, Line 1 and ParaTranspo are operating. Some service delays may occur. The agency recommends planning trips in advance and allowing extra time for trips.

School bus cancellations

All buses are cancelled for Ottawa and Renfrew County English and French school boards. The Upper Canada District School Board and Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario buses are also cancelled.

Buses in the north and central zones of the Tri-Board are cancelled while those in the Kingston and Belleville areas remain open.

For road conditions and other traveller information from the Ministry of Transportation, visit ontario.ca/511, twitter.com/511Ontario, or call 5-1-1.

Winter operations update

The City of Ottawa says they are monitoring the forecast and says all resources have been deployed,

Crews will treat sidewalks, arterial roads and work in residential neighbourhoods to clear and treat streets through the day. They will also focus on cleaning up any problem areas such as bus stops, crosswalks, intersections, pedestrian islands, corners and cul de sacs.

"As a reminder, the snow is wet and heavy so it will take crews longer to get through the entire transportation network, but rest assured, they are hard at work," the city said in a winter operations update on Monday morning.

Winter Parking Ban

Ottawa Bylaw says a winter weather parking ban was in place from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to assist crews cleaning city streets.

Winter weather parking bans are issued when snowfall amounts of more than 7 cm are forecast and can apply to overnight or daytime hours.

All vehicles must be removed from the roadway. Eligible parking permit holders are exempt, though the city encourages those who can to remove their vehicles to prevent them from being snowed in. 

The City of Ottawa has added an additional 18 parking lots for residents to park during a parking ban. Vehicles may remain parked at the sites for the duration of the ban and must be removed after the city announces that the ban has been lifted. 

Vehicles without a residential parking permit that are parked on the street during a parking ban may be ticketed and towed. A list of available parking for residents is on the city's website.