‘A real switcheroo’: Temperatures set to plummet in Hamilton, turning puddles to ice patches
You better practise your penguin-style walk, Hamilton - because Wednesday's puddles are set to become Thursday's ice patches, says a climatologist with Environment Canada.
Wednesday's mid-week melt was courtesy of an Alberta clipper rolling through the region, said senior climatologist David Phillips.
Coming from the south, the system brought warmer temperatures to the city - a stark contrast to the weather seen earlier in the week.
Monday saw Hamilton hit with a storm that left more than 70 HSR buses stuck in the snow and closed schools for two days. Efforts to dig out the city are set to continue throughout the week, according to a city spokesperson.
Phillips said temperatures in the city Wednesday ranged from 0 C to just above the freezing mark, with thermometers hitting 4 C around midday.
Snowbanks that once towered over vehicles receded and the greyish slush everyone loves so much made its usual appearance - creating brand new puddles amid streetscapes.
But those temperatures won't be sticking around, said Phillips. Instead, they're forecasted to take quite the tumble.
Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for Hamilton Wednesday evening warning residents that temperatures were to abruptly drop" below freezing overnight. Highways, roads, walkways and parking lots could become icy and slippery."
Skies over Hamilton Thursday will be a mix of sun and cloud, with a 30 per cent chance of flurries in the morning. Temperatures are expected to hold steady near -10 C, feeling like -20 C with wind chill in the morning and -13 C in the afternoon.
That's a real switcheroo," said Phillips. That's going to freeze everything that melted Wednesday and so there are going to be some slick surfaces that will make it a little bit tough to get around."
Snow that managed to stick around will be akin to concrete due to moisture and compaction," said meteorologist Steven Flisfeder, in a previous interview.
Snow clearing efforts continue
As of Wednesday afternoon, city road crews had made significant progress" cleaning up after Monday's storm, said Peter Sniuolis, acting manager of roadway maintenance, in a statement to The Spectator.
The city has currently removed approximately 13,000 tonnes of snow since (Tuesday) evening," said Sniuolis. The removal operation is expected to continue into the weekend."
Normally, the municipality aims to have all streets and rural roads cleared within 24 hours of the end of a winter storm. But the city announced a significant weather event" Monday - a formal declaration under Ontario's Municipal Act that suspends required winter maintenance timelines.
That declaration also applies to property owners who are also facing mounds of snow, said Sniuolis.
After the city declared the weather event over late Wednesday, residents will now be required to clear their properties within a day.
Fallon Hewitt is a reporter at The Spectator. fhewitt@thespec.com