Flash freeze prompts calls for caution
Posted Feb 14, 2011 07:53:28 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A blast of freezing air in the capital sent the temperature way below freezing and made things slippery Monday evening and overnight.
It wasn’t just the roads that were cause for concern — sidewalks and parking lots were expected to be extra-slippery.
A Flash Freeze Warning was issued by Environment Canada for the Ottawa area, Monday morning. It was ended by Monday evening, but the frigid temperatures and slippery conditions remained.
The City of Ottawa says its crews were out all day, clearing catch-basins in an effort to get as much water off the roads as possible. Trucks were also out spreading salt, to try to keep the major routes as trouble-free as possible. The City’s public works department admits, though, side streets and sidewalks will likely be slippery overnight.
A news release from the City of Ottawa advises citizens to take extra care in parking lots, which can become especially tricky.
There were a few traffic collisions during the evening commute, but with a lighter-than-normal volume, it appeared many drivers had left work early to get ahead of the freeze, or taken the City’s earlier adivce to use transit.
Both the City and Ottawa Police Service were urging drivers to use extra caution on the roads, Monday night.
The sudden blast of frigid air and a predicted overnight low of -20 are just one part of a wild rollercoaster of weather. Temperatures are expected to reach 11 degrees Celsius by Friday.
