Montreal races to clear snow off main arteries as Sunday snowstorm looms

One day after an intense winter storm dumped over 30 centimetres of snow on Montreal, the city is racing to clear some streets before another one arrives.

Forecasters predict another round of heavy snowfall on Sunday; between 25 and 40 centimetres are expected. 

But the city's streets are already a mess, covered with the remnants of Thursday's snow. 

"It's an exceptional situation," said Philippe Sabourin, the city's spokesperson on all snow-clearing-related issues. "It's been 20 years since I've been following snow-clearing operations in Montreal and I've rarely seen two giant storms of 30 centimetres back to back, this close together, with so little time to adjust."

Workers have already plowed streets across the city, but snow removal — using trucks and heavy machinery to transport the snow to disposal sites — had not yet begun by Friday morning. 

That will change Friday evening. The city is launching what Sabourin called a "special loading operation." Beginning at 7 p.m., crews will drive loaders and industrial snow blowers down major arteries to remove as much snow as possible before the first snowflake falls on Sunday.

"We have 36 hours before the next storm, so it's a race against the clock," Sabourin said.

Normally, a snow-removal operation after a 35 centimetre storm would take six days, he said. So, the city isn't trying to remove snow from every road. Rather, they are prioritizing major arteries and "strategic" routes, including those near hospitals and fire stations. 

They will be clearing some residential streets — particularly extremely narrow ones, but by and large, will turn their focus elsewhere. 

Sabourin said the city's goal was to clear approximately one quarter of its streets before the snow begins on Sunday. 

He described the goal as "ambitious" and asked residents to respect parking restrictions.