Ottawa woke Tuesday morning to about 15 centimetres of snow and reports of collisions on slippery roadways, as the snowstorm that started Monday afternoon moved eastward.
Light snow fell steadily on eastern Ontario starting Monday afternoon and lasting into the early hours Tuesday, with Environment Canada lifting snowfall warnings around 5 a.m.
By that time, the weather agency was reporting up to 17 centimetres of snow had accumulated at the Ottawa airport.
Although the weather agency has lifted all snowfall warnings in eastern Ontario, a risk of freezing drizzle remains in place for Tuesday morning.
City staff are reporting an average of about 15 to 16 centimetres of snow throughout Ottawa’s downtown, according to the city’s manager of road operations Bryden Denyes.
City snow clearing crews have been working since the early morning and are prioritizing main and arterial roadways, Denyes said.
Gatineau saw four accidents on slippery roads overnight, according to Gatineau police, including an incident of a ten-wheel truck hitting a lamppost at the intersection of Mont-Blue and Cité des Jeunes.
Police are responding to numerous collisions on Highway 416 and Highway 417, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said in Tuesday morning post on social media.
Although snowplow operators have been working through the night, some areas of road remain covered in ice and snow, OPP said.