5-10 cm of snow expected in Ottawa

After a late February thaw the national’s capital is getting more snow like most of the southern half of the province on Thursday.

According to Environment Canada, the city can expect between 5-10 centimetres of snow to fall by the afternoon. The light snow is likely to intensify over the course of the day.

”Visibility will be significantly reduced at times under these snow bands,” the weather agency said on its website.

By Thursday evening the snow should taper off the forecast reads.

Temperatures today are hovering around the freezing mark with a high of 1 C, with a wind chill closer to -9 C.

The forecast notes it is supposed to get colder heading into the weekend, with temperatures dropping overnight Thursday to a low of -13 C.

The wind chill is supposed to stick around and bring temperatures around -23 C in the morning on Friday. Flurries are expected to descend on the city into Saturday morning.

Walking only on the canal

This storm system and cooler temperatures comes after a warm past few days in Ottawa, where the skateway had to pause to preserve the ice.

People are being asked not to skate down the Rideau Canal but instead walk only. According to the National Capital Commission (NCC), skating is paused as of 8:00 a.m. on Feb. 24 until further notice. 

However, the ice thickness is still safe for people to walk along the canal. Teams have set up designated walking paths between Waverley and Library access points on the Queen Elizabeth Driveway side of the canal.

Walking is also allowed between Queen and Somerset access points.

“Warm weather makes the ice soft and easily damaged by skates,” officials said. “By only using the designated walking lanes, you’ll help us reopen the skating surface faster.”