Hamilton residents warned about road conditions after Monday morning blizzard

Environment Canada has issued a new winter storm warning for Hamilton, after putting residents on alert for a blizzard earlier on Monday.

The weather authority warned of a blizzard at 7:45 a.m. on Monday. At 11:27 a.m., it downgraded the advisory back to a winter storm.

"When we look outside, this is bad," said Gerald Chang, a meteorologist for Environment Canada, on Monday morning. "This is the biggest snowstorm we've had in a while."

A storm is considered a blizzard when snow and winds are expected to cut visibility to less than four metres for more than four hours, Chang said.

Chang said the Feb. 1, 2011, was the last time a blizzard warning was issued for Hamilton.

At least 13 centimetres of snow have already been measured at the Hamilton airport, but the meteorologist said he believes that figure fails to truly capture what people in the city are experiencing, especially downtown.

"It is a remarkable snowfall because we're talking about visibility almost close to zero."

The winter storm warning says that the heaviest snowfall already happened in the morning, but that more snowfall is possible before snow tapers off late in the afternoon or early in the evening. 

It also said that rapidly accumulating snow may make travelling difficult and highways, roads, walkways and parking lots could be hard to navigate.

"Avoid travelling when you can," said Chang, adding if people can stay home today, they should.

"It's a double-edged sword, I guess, when you can work from home because you cannot really take a snow day anymore, can you," he said. 

The total expected snowfall is 40 to 60 cm and there will be winds gusting up to 60 km/h through to the evening, according to the warning.

The City of Hamilton declared a "significant weather event" as of 4 p.m. on Monday, which suspends the usual timelines for clearing snow from streets. The city currently has 159 pieces of equipment plowing and salting streets, it said in a news release.

"While city road crews are prepared to respond to the ongoing weather event, the city expects that target completion times for snow removal will span beyond its typical target completion time due to the significant storm this morning," the release said. 

A bylaw that requires property owners to clear snow from sidewalks and roofs above city sidewalks within 24 hours of a snow event will also be suspended. Residents now have until 24 hours after the city declares the end of the significant weather event, the release said.

'It's a lot of work'

Chase Hanson-French was helping clear his dad's driveway on Stanley Avenue Monday afternoon and estimated he'd been at it for over an hour.

"It's a lot, honestly," the 27-year-old said, gesturing at a pile. "I did not expect it to be like two feet of snow. It's a lot of work for anybody who has to go to work."

Stanley was among the city's residential streets that still had not been plowed by 1 p.m.

A man on cross country skis could be seen taking advantage of the conditions, working his way up and down the road.

Hanson-French said he's seen big snowfalls in Hamilton before, but it's been a while.

"It's a nice surprise but I'll be happy [when] it's over," he said with a laugh.

Marie Fisher, a registered nurse who works in surgery at Greater Niagara General Hospital, said she wasn't able to get to work because her car got stuck in snow. A neighbour had to help her to push the car back into the driveway.  

She said she had worked 11 hours on Sunday on emergency surgeries and there were more to be done today. But the last time she spoke with the hospital around 10 a.m., none of the registered nurses had been able to make it to work, she said.

"I don't know if anybody ended up making it into surgery. But my road still isn't plowed and I can't get help, and I'm gonna get stuck," she said on Monday afternoon. "Several cars have tried to get on my road and have been stuck, and then people just shovel around them trying to get them out." 

Increase in 911 calls for snow-related incidents

Dave Thompson, the superintendent at Hamilton Paramedic Services, said the service had already received 16 calls to 911 related to shoveling or snow on Monday morning.

The calls ranged from slip and falls to chest pain and cardiac arrest while shoveling, he said. 

"Although exercise is good for you, a lot of people aren't getting up and doing stretches and warming up and getting their heart rate up a little bit before they're going and shoveling," he said. "Their bodies sometimes aren't accustomed to that kind of cardiovascular stress."

Thompson advised that people warm up before they begin shoveling, wear appropriate clothing and shoes for the weather, and take breaks if they are feeling light-headed or unwell. Dehydration can be a problem, so he said to avoid alcohol and stay hydrated.

The heavy snowfall also made it difficult for paramedics to reach patients on smaller streets, Thompson said.

"We have had a few where they've had to park either outside of a street or away from the scene, and then have to carry their equipment in the stretcher to the patient," he said.

Storm caused by low pressure system

The snowfall could get the city close to its all-time record for a single-day snowfall.

A total of 43 cm were measured at the airport on Jan. 22, 1966.

The storm is the result of a low pressure system that's moving west across the great lakes, carrying "significant snowfall and blizzard conditions to the region," according to the earlier blizzard warning.

Chang said the storm is blanketing not just southern Ontario and the greater-Golden Horseshoe, but also eastern Canada.

The system scooped up moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean and Great Lakes.

"That's why we're getting this much snow and it's coming down in a very short amount of time and that's what causing the very poor visibility," he said.

Highways an 'absolute mess'

Sgt. Kerry Schmidt of the Ontario Provincial Police told Ontario drivers to stay off the roads on Monday, especially on highways. Eastbound traffic near highways 401 and 400 was at a "standstill gridlock" around noon, he said.

"It's an absolute mess," he told CBC's Ontario Today. "Everywhere I look, there's cars stuck, there's transports stuck, buses stuck."

"The problem is we have cars all over the place that are stuck in traffic. That means the plows cannot get out there to plow the highway, which means the tow trucks can't get there to remove these vehicles. It's one thing complicating the next." 

Schmidt said that drivers in their vehicles should make sure their tailpipes are clear because snowbanks can drift around a vehicle. He also said drivers can turn off traction control to get tires spinning in snow, and that they should make sure they have an emergency kit with a shovel, boots, gloves, a phone charger and food items like granola bars. 

Once the plows start clearing more of the snow, there's also a danger that there will be more accidents, Schmidt said.

Transit delays, service suspended

HSR said on Twitter that riders should expect "significant delays on routes across the city due to weather. #HSR2 Barton buses are detouring at end of line around Bell Manor Loop. Routes 20, 21, 33 and 35 are also detouring to avoid West 5th access. No service cancellations at this time."

GO Transit says the routes 12 and 16 buses are temporarily suspended. The service says "Customers at Union Station can take the Lakeshore West service to Aldershot GO. At Aldershot GO, customers can take the Route 18 GO Bus service to Hamilton GO Centre."

Customers at Hamilton GO can take the Route 18 GO Bus which will connect customers to Aldershot GO. From Aldershot GO, customers can take the Lakeshore West service to Union Station. Click here for information on all service updates.
 
For real-time information on your next bus arrival, you can text your bus stop ID to 88846 or call 1-888-GET-ON-GO. Find out more at gotransit.com/wheresmybus.