We all woke up to a bit of a surprise today. Forecasters were only calling for about 0.5 cm overnight, but a narrow band of lake-effect snow broke off from the main system south of the city and swung directly through Orléans — leaving us with a much larger accumulation than expected.

As of 4:00 am, here’s what we’re currently measuring across the area:

• North of St. Joseph: 4–5 cm
• Central Orléans: 6–7 cm
• South of Innes: up to 10 cm
• Beacon Hill: 2.5–3 cm (Ultra Clients ONLY)

Most of Ottawa is seeing less than 4 cm, making this very much an Orléans-specific event. In Beacon Hill, due to the lack of snow, we will be servicing only those that have the Ultra 2.5cm service.

Although it was unexpected, we’ve taken quick action and notified all our teams. With the last-minute nature of this overnight snowfall, you may see a staggered start between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. as operators arrive and begin their routes.

This snow is very light and fluffy, so it will naturally condense as daylight and temperatures rise. Given conditions across the rest of the city, we don’t expect City graders to be dispatched to residential streets, but we’ll provide an update if that changes.

Thank you for your patience this morning — our crews are on the move and we’ll work our way through the routes as quickly as conditions allow.

Stay safe,

The Worry Free Team

City Grader Status: Not likely for today.

City Parking Ban: Not at this time.