Thursday, December 19 – Sunday December 22, 2013 – – Significant winter weather expected Friday and into this weekend. Potential ice storm for some areas Saturday night into Sunday.
Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement warning for the City of Toronto, Halton, Peel, Hamilton Wentworth, Guelph, Cambridge and Kitchener-Waterloo regions today. Here at Gelderman we are monitoring the weather forecast.
Several disturbances originating in Texas are expected to move towards the Lower Great Lakes starting Friday and precipitation with this system is expected to spread into Southwestern Ontario this evening and through the remainder of Southern Ontario by Friday morning. The exact location of this storm track will determine whether the precipitation falls as rain, freezing rain, ice pellets, or snow.
The most recent assessment suggests that in Southern Ontario little snowfall is expected with precipitation more likely to be in the form of rain, freezing rain or ice pellets.
The precipitation may become more intermittent on Saturday before another more potent storm approaches Southern Ontario Saturday evening into Sunday. There is a risk that this could be a major ice storm for an appreciable swath of Southern Ontario.
Considerable uncertainty exists regarding which locations will be most severely impacted. Any change in the storm track’s position will affect precipitation amounts and type. However, it is very likely that holiday travel will be significantly impacted. We recommend watching future forecasts and taking the necessary precautions.
Please show caution – driving conditions will be hazardous, and there is a risk of widespread power outages due to fallen tree limbs and power lines.
Operations Update:
If precipitation falls as freezing rain or ice pellets: Our priority will be to cycle through our properties salting walkways and throughways.
If precipitation falls as rain: Our priority will be to cycle through our properties to clear slush from major entrances, roadways and storm drains with the use of plows to allow traffic flow and access by emergency vehicles.
If precipitation falls as snow: Our snow removal crews’ priority is to cycle through our properties to open up major entrances and roadways with the use of plows to allow traffic flow and access by emergency vehicles. Once adequate plowing and clearing has been done to maintain safe and open conditions, the salt trucks will then be dispatched to required properties. Once the snow has ceased to fall, we will then complete all driveways, walkways and throughways based on your contract specifications.
Once the storm tapers off we will return for a final clean up, salt trucks will be dispatched to required properties and we will then complete all driveways, walkways and throughways based on your contract specifications.
We appreciate your patience during this predicted weather event as holiday traffic and treacherous road conditions could delay service.
You can monitor weather statements, alerts and warnings here: http://weather.gc.ca/warnings/index_e.html?prov=son
