SOUTH DUNDAS – A pair of storms over a three-day period packed a one-two punch with freezing rain, warming conditions, then a cold drop in temperatures, high winds, and snow.
The first storm hit Eastern Ontario Sunday afternoon (December 28) and brought 15-25 millimetres of ice accretion by the time the freezing rain ended early Monday morning. Traffic was observed on Highway 401 through South Dundas travelling at 50-to-60 kilometres per hour at best Sunday evening. OPP advised people not to travel on the roads unless they had to. There were minimal road closures or collisions on the highways. A jackknifed FedEx transport on Highway 416 near Kemptville prompted the closure of southbound lanes of the highway for several hours Monday.
Monday morning (December 29) saw temperatures rise above freezing and people tried to clean the ice off their vehicles.
Several municipalities in the region, including the city of Cornwall, declared a Significant Weather Event and closed public buildings early. In South Dundas, local government did not make this designation.
“Staff worked hard today and got two rounds in. They will be back at it tomorrow (Tuesday) at 4 a.m.,” said South Dundas Chief Administrative Officer Ben deHaan. “You will note some municipalities are designating significant weather events, South Dundas does not need to. We are in good shape.”
A cold front descended on the region Monday afternoon. Hours after Environment Canada ended its freezing rain warnings, the agency issued a special weather statement forecasting winds of up to 70 kph, with possible snow complementing the winds. Very little snow accumulated overnight. The special weather statement ended after 1 a.m. Tuesday.
The weather forecast throughout the rest of the week calls for partly sunny conditions with daytime highs ranging from minus-10C to minus-12C, and dropping to minus-21C on New Years Eve.
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