Winter storm blankets Ottawa with 27 cm of snow

The cleanup is underway on roads and sidewalks, after one of the largest snowfalls of the winter buried Ottawa with 27 centimetres of snow.

"Shovel your own snow then you'll stay young," Allen Robinson said while shovelling his driveway.

Jeff Davies finished clearing his driveway, and then started clearing neighbours driveways.

"We work together, we help each other out," Davies said.  "Yeah, it's just a neighbourly thing, and you just all work together."

The snowfall warning was lifted just after 2 p.m. Thursday.

"The bulk of the heavy snow has fallen," Environment Canada said in a notice late Thursday morning.

As of 1 p.m., Environment Canada reported 27 centimetres of snow had fallen at the Ottawa airport since the storm began Wednesday afternoon.

The 27 cm of snow was the second-largest snowfall of the winter for Ottawa. A total of 36.2 cm of snow fell during a storm on Dec. 16 and 17. Ottawa received 25.9 cm of snow during a storm on Dec. 23 and 24.

The snow disrupted travel for drivers, OC Transpo riders and air travellers Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

OC Transpo warned of "service delays" due to the weather, asking people to leave extra time to reach their destinations. Photos on social media showed several buses stuck in the snow during the Thursday commute.

City of Ottawa officials said the main focus for snowplows was the sidewalks, priority roads and the winter cycling network.

"Given the amount of snowfall accumulation, crews are expected to start clearing residential streets this morning and will continue this work into the evening hours," the city said on its website.

Ontario Provincial Police responded to more than 120 collisions on highways across eastern Ontario during the storm, while Ottawa police reported 11 collisions during the morning commute. 

Several flights were delayed or cancelled at the Ottawa airport due to the snow in Ottawa and in Toronto.

For Allen and Liz Robinson, they didn't mind clearing the snow Thursday afternoon.

"You to try and do the whole thing all at once, it could be a little tricky," Liz said. "We haven't done the back yet, so that'll get done when it gets done."

Snow capital of Ontario

Cities across Ontario are digging out after the storm moved across the province.

Ottawa received the greatest amount of snow, with 27 cm of snow.

Volunteer observers recorded 25 cm of snow in Renfrew, 23 cm of snow in Merrickville and 22.5 cm of snow in Winchester.

North York received 20.5 cm of snow, while 14 cm of snow was recorded in Toronto and 17 cm in Hamilton.

Snow began Wednesday afternoon

The storm moved into Ottawa during the afternoon commute on Wednesday. By 9 p.m. roads across the city were covered by several centimetres of snow. Police urged motorists to adjust their speed to the conditions and only travel if it's necessary.

Emergency crews responded to a call for a snowplow that rolled over into a ditch on Boundary Road at Hwy. 417 Wednesday evening. Firefighters extricated the trapped driver from the cab of the plow.

Winter parking ban

A daytime winter parking ban was effect on Thursday between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. across the city. The city announced the parking ban ended at 7 p.m. 

During a winter parking ban, parking is not allowed on city streets so crews can plow more easily. Vehicles parked on the street may be ticketed and towed.

Flights cancelled

The Ottawa Airport's departures page was showing seven cancelled flights as of mid-Thursday morning. There were at least eight flights cancelled Wednesday night.

In Toronto, Pearson airport had 25 per cent of its flights cancelled after the snow rolled in.

Snowfall record on Jan. 25.

Ottawa received 25 cm of snow during the two day weather event.

A total of 15.6 cm of snow was recorded at the Ottawa airport on Wednesday, setting a new record for greatest snowfall on Jan. 25. The previous record for snowfall at the airport was 11.9 cm of snow, set back in 1975.

According to the Twitter account YOW_Weather, 33 cm of snow was recorded in Ottawa on Jan. 25, 1928.

More snow expected on the weekend

After the snow ends on Thursday, things are expected to cool down. The high will be -4 C but by Thursday night tempertaures will drop to -15 C (-18 with the windchill).

Friday will be sunny with increasing cloudiness in the afternoon. The high will be -5 C. There's a 70 per cent chance of flurries Friday night. 

Saturday will see flurries with a high of 1 C.

Sunday will see periods of snow with a high of -8 C.

🌨️ Snow is forecast to continue until this afternoon. We expect that it will be slow-going today city-wide with service delays anticipated. 1/5 pic.twitter.com/eChfod4rMQ

— OC Transpo (@OC_Transpo) January 26, 2023