Less than 72 hours after a midweek snowstorm hit the Ottawa-Gatineau area, another winter storm is forecasted to arrive late on Friday evening. Environment Canada has issued winter storm warnings for almost the entire region, with the exception of communities along the water west of Brockville.
These warnings anticipate double-digit snowfall totals along with strong winds. Unlike the previous storm, there is no mention of rain and ice in this forecast. Most forecasts suggest that the snowfall should come to an end by Saturday morning.
The most significant snowfall is expected west of Ottawa, particularly in Renfrew County and the Bancroft area, where meteorologists predict a range of 15 to 30 centimeters of snow. Bancroft experienced significant precipitation during the earlier storm this week. The snow in this region may continue into Saturday afternoon, making it an outlier in the forecast.
Ottawa and the surrounding communities in eastern Ontario could see snowfall amounts ranging from 15 to 25 centimeters, accompanied by blowing snow. Gatineau has already scheduled a winter parking ban starting at 3 a.m. on Saturday, which will remain in effect until further notice.
To the south of this area, including communities like Tweed, Cornwall, and Brockville, snowfall totals of 10 to 20 centimeters are anticipated.
In western Quebec, excluding Gatineau (which is often associated with Ottawa), residents may need to clear nearly 25 centimeters of snow, according to the warning. Similar to other regions, the snow in this area may extend into the afternoon.
A winter weather travel advisory has been issued for areas west of Brockville, indicating that late in the afternoon or early in the evening, these locations could experience five to 10 centimeters of blowing snow, followed by rain.
Earlier in the week, Ottawa’s international airport recorded a prolonged period of snowfall from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by two hours of freezing rain and rain after midnight. In total, approximately nine centimeters of snow and 12 millimeters of other precipitation were measured.
According to CBC’s climate dashboard, the capital region is experiencing a drier and warmer winter than average. These weather conditions are not conducive to opening the Rideau Canal Skateway, experts say, and the additional snow this week only compounds the challenge.