Londoners get blast of winter during first snowstorm of the year
Dennis Leite is checking equipment in advance of a heavy snowfall and several days of flurries.
“[We’re going to] have snow the next four or five days. We’ll try to do our best,” said Leite, a private snow plow operator.
After several weeks of unseasonably warm January weather, Leite is ready to plow again. Although, he admitted the last storm — the one that hit the city just before holidays — will forever remain in the record books.
“Christmas was a nasty storm,” he said. “Yes, I’m going to say the worst.”
Looking over a mountain of salt, John Parsons can’t argue the point. Still, he is confident his team of 72 road plows will tackle the current blast of snow. Salters and sanders were first out of the gate at 6 a.m. Wednesday morning.
John Parsons, a City of London snow plow operator is seen in London, Ont. on Jan. 25, 2023. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)
“The good thing about getting out early this morning was we were able to break the bond between the snow, ice and the road,” explained Parsons, a City of London snow plow operator. “You might remember the last storm we had, it rained, that froze, it was very difficult to break that bond and clear it off.”
But with plenty of salt arriving, Parson said this time it will be different.
8,000 tons of salt is equivalent to approximately one-fifth of the city’s salt budget, and city salters and sanders will keep main roads clear, with local roads seeing plows after.
Barbara Leonard is seen outside her London, Ont. home on Jan. 25, 2023. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)
Driveways however remain the responsibility of homeowners. As the first flurries dropped, Barbara Leonard made sure to keep ahead of accumulation.
“It’s heavy and wet and I want to get rid of it while I can,” she said.
Barbara admitted she is also eager to shovel after a winter of little action beyond the big Christmas storm.
“I keep waiting for the other foot to drop,” she said.
In all, Environment Canada expects approximately 15 cm of snow to fall in the London region on Wednesday with reduced visibility.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
It could take years to catch up on child vaccinations in Ontario post-pandemic
Ontario is still playing catch up on routine vaccinations that many children missed during the pandemic and public health officials are warning that it could take years to solve the problem.