Nearing Record Snow fall in Ottawa

Ottawa nears all-time snowfall record
City's snow-clearing costs double normal amount at $18.5M
Last Updated: Thursday, March 6, 2008 | 10:28 AM ET
CBC News

With 357 centimetres of snow already this winter and more to come on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Ottawa seems on track to top the record 444.1 centimetres that fell in the winter of 1970-71.

The city has already recorded its second-largest snowfall ever.

For people who still think in the imperial system, that's almost 12 feet of snow.

"This winter, we've had a lot of these events. They seem to be tracking up from the south," said John Manconi, who is in charge of snow clearing for the city.

"We're also monitoring what's coming this weekend. That's in our sights. So we're certainly making another significant jump [in the amount of snowfall]," Manconi said.

Environment Canada is predicting a large snowstorm on Saturday afternoon or evening.

Even before that, there is a 40 per cent chance of flurries Thursday afternoon, and a 40 per cent chance of snow flurries Friday morning, and with a steady snowfall beginning that afternoon.

So far this winter, the city has spent $18.5 million on snow removal, which is about twice as much as it would normally spend during a winter.

Police said that, from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, there were 41 accidents in town and 109 accidents on the highways around Ottawa. Most were minor, police said.

It was the fifth "snow day" this winter for schools in the region, meaning the schools were open, but the school buses were cancelled.

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