Hamilton declares end to ‘significant weather event’
Published January 19, 2022 at 9:18 pm
Officially, the “significant weather event” caused by Hamilton’s largest snowstorm in nearly a decade lasted for 52 hours.
The city announced around 8 p.m. Wednesday (Jan. 19) that it was no longer under the conditions that were put in place two days earlier, after heavy snowfall across the city and the Southern Ontario region. The declaration was, effective, an admission that snow removal would take longer than usual due to the storm. Many municipal employees of the City of Hamilton have also been sick with COVID-19 or are self-isolating due to symptoms.
“We will continue to work on cleanup over the next few days,” a tweet on the city’s official account stated. “We thank residents for their patience as crews continue to work diligently to respond to this storm.”
#HamOntSnow Update:
Crews continue to clear escarpments, priority 1, 2 & 3 roads, rural roads, residential streets, bike lanes, municipally-owned sidewalks & @HSR stops. Follow #PlowTracker to see progress of snow removal over the last 2, 4, 12 & 24 hrs: https://t.co/wJo2O7BEj2 pic.twitter.com/Hl5qiLFxF5— City of Hamilton (@cityofhamilton) January 19, 2022
The City has declared the end of the Significant Weather Event. We will continue to work on cleanup over the next few days. We thank residents for their patience as crews continue to work diligently to respond to this storm. #HamOnt #HamOntSnow
— City of Hamilton (@cityofhamilton) January 20, 2022
On Reddit, the user YOW-Weather-Records said the city received 18.0 cm of snow on Monday (Jan. 17). That was the largest since Dec. 14, 2013, when 18.0 cm of snow was also measured between 12 a.m. and 11:59 p.m.
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Those totals would not include the snow that began to fall the previous evening. It is the fourth-highest single-day snowfall in Hamilton in the 21st century, and seventh-highest single-day total since tracking began at the Hamilton airport in 1959.
The warmer temperatures that Hamiltonians experienced on Wednesday are not expected to last long. The forecast for tomorrow (Jan. 20) calls for clear and cold conditions, with a high of minus-9C. Friday’s daytime high is also forecast at minus-9C.
That could lead to icy conditions, as puddles and water run-off created by melting snow turn into ice.
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