Nikki Buechler
Shawville Jan. 17, 2022
A winter storm coated the Pontiac in a thick blanket of snow on Tuesday. Although it had been expected, with storm warnings and school closures announced in . . .
anticipation of inclement weather, the accumulated snowfall was beyond the expectation of most forecasts. Snow measurement data are collected from the Ottawa Airport and there may be slight differences within the region, but it is estimated that the Pontiac received up to 45 cm of new snow – one of the top ten single-day accumulations in recorded history.
When the morning commute began for many Pontiac residents, road conditions were already a bit messy, but the storm began in earnest after the workday had begun. By midday there had been several hours of rapid accumulation — over 10 cm per hour at times, which was sustained over several hours.
In Shawville, there was a brief period in the later part of the afternoon when the snow began to shift toward a freezing rain. Though it lasted only a short time, and wasn’t actually warm enough to melt the existing snow, the precipitation was the perfect temperature to leave an impenetrable armour coating on one’s windshield.
According to MRC police spokesperson Marc Tessier, there were no major injuries and no deaths reported, despite near white-out conditions at times. “There were some minor injuries, people sliding off roads and into snowbanks, and we did respond to some accidents, but we were lucky yesterday. With a lot of people still working from home and schools closed for the day, there were fewer cars on the road than there otherwise would have been for a regular Monday.”
Several ‘Canadian moments’ played out in various forms throughout the day — a driver who became entangled with a snowbank was stuck for several seconds before being assisted by neighbours and passing motorists. Kids who were ready to resume their first day of in-person education following the extended winter break were given another extra day off school because of bus cancellations. People leaving work had to figure out which mound of snow they parked under, and then dig themselves out.
“We did better than some places,” affirmed Tessier. Referring to the highway closures in Toronto that left some motorists stranded on major freeways for up to 8 hours, he said “we had no road closures, no major incidents. The Pontiac did ok.”
Although it is estimated that snow removal will take at least a couple of days, there is another significant storm on the horizon to keep Pontiac residents on their toes. According to forecasts, we can expect another ten centimeters of the white stuff on Wednesday, as more winter storms roll through the region. Let the winter activities commence.
