Staff memo.
As at 7:00 am, January 29th 2014
The following is an update on winter control in the City of Guelph. The City is under a wind chill warning (see below) from Environment Canada which will see temperatures as low as -30C. No significant snowfall is forecast until Friday.
As a result, the winter control team continues to clean-up from last weekend’s event. The colder than average temperatures are hampering the use of road salt as it will not melt at this time. This will be re-assessed later in the day. However, the main and secondary routes are generally clear this morning with only some isolated drifting being reported. We have plows out on the main routes right now.
Clean-up activities over the last 24 hrs have included snow removal in the Downtown core, City facilities and “shelving” snow banks (grader work to push snow back to allow for more room during the next snow event). The sidewalk crews have moved into the residential neighbourhoods and continue to clear.
Our longer range forecast is indicating that we may be getting 10+ cm of snow this weekend. No plowout has been ordered at this time. That will be decided as the situation dictates.
Staff continue to ask commuters to use caution and adjust to the conditions accordingly. Further, the size of snow banks in residential neighbourhoods are getting quite high and may prove to be a safety hazard to those backing their vehicles out onto City roadways. Where possible, residents are asked to lower these snowbanks along their driveways to allow for better sightlines.
Guelph – Erin – Southern Wellington County
4:49 AM EST Wednesday 29 January 2014
Wind chill warning for
Guelph – Erin – Southern Wellington County continuedCold wind chills finally improving this morning.
A bitterly cold Arctic air mass combined with continuing strong and gusty winds is resulting in wind chills near minus 30 across the regions this morning.
Frostbite (damage, sometimes permanent, to skin and body tissue due to freezing) and hypothermia (a life threatening drop in body temperature) will occur if adequate precautions are not taken when outdoors. These can occur within minutes.
The wind chills will slowly improve later this morning as temperatures moderate upward.
A bitterly cold Arctic air mass has once again invaded Southern Ontario. However a slow moderating trend will start later this morning and it is expected that wind chill warnings will end by noon and snow squall warnings may eventually be ended tonight.