A storm for the books

Hamilton punches through its snowfall record for Jan. 17 — with more of the flaky white stuff on the way

Many Hamiltonians spent Monday digging themselves out after the first snowstorm of the year — and more winter weather could be on its way, says Environment Canada.

Speaking to The Spectator, meteorologist Steven Flisfeder said the city broke its long-standing record for snowfall on Jan. 17 with 41 centimetres of the white stuff measured at the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport as of noon.

That was “more than double” the previous record of 19.1 cm back in 1978, said Flisfeder.

However, the federal weather agency stopped tracking the greatest single-day snowfall amounts in 2011.

Across the region, Flisfeder said localized amounts spanned from 31 cm of snow in Simcoe to upwards of nearly 60 cm of snow in some areas of the Niagara region that are closer to the border.

But Old Man Winter isn’t done with us yet, said Flisfeder.

As the current system moves east, Hamiltonians will see some colder air from the northwest blowing in on Tuesday. Set to travel across Lake Huron, the system will also be bringing along with it a 40 per cent chance of flurries in the morning, all courtesy of the lake effect, said Flisfeder.

“We’re not entirely sure if those lake effect bands will quite reach the western part of Lake Ontario, but it is very much possible,” said Flisfeder. “The snowfall should not

be too significant for the Hamilton region.”

Skies over the city will be cloudy and winds will be light, with temperatures dipping down to a low of -12 C with the wind chill in the morning and warming just slightly to -7 C in the afternoon.

Flisfeder said come Wednesday, another system is set to make its way to Steeltown — after a trip across the Prairies.

“We call it an Alberta clipper,” said Flisfeder. “Typically, these are fairly quick moving and don’t give a ton of accumulation, and the Hamilton region happens to be on the warmer side of this system.”

Temperatures could reach a high of 3 C and there is a 40 per cent chance of showers — which Flisfeder said could actually mean some wet snow or a mixture of rain and snow, all depending.

“It’s going to be a mess,” said Flisfeder. “If temperatures get above zero, that will mean melting, but it will also mean compaction for the snow that’s already there … it will be like concrete.”

Residents are encouraged to shovel as soon as possible, but also reminded to “take breaks as needed,” said Supt. Dave Thompson of the Hamilton Paramedic Service.

Between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday, emergency services responded to four calls for cardiac arrest related to people shovelling their driveways, as well as seven calls relating to chest pains and another two for shortness of breath.

Thompson said paramedics are anticipating more calls as people continue to dig themselves out. He also encouraged residents to check on their more vulnerable neighbours who may be snowed in.

Mail delivery, garbage collection and vaccinations delayed

Residents awaiting an important package or letter may have to wait longer, according to Canada Post.

A red delivery service alert was issued for eastern and southern Ontario as well as the Greater Toronto Area due to the snowstorm — meaning all mail delivery was suspended.

“Delivery will resume once conditions improve and it’s safe to do so,” read the media release.

Waste collection was also cancelled, according to the city. Affected neighbourhoods will have their waste picked up on Jan. 24 and residents can put out two bags of garbage before needing trash tags.

And those who had hoped to get their COVID-19 shot Monday will have to make a new appointment or find walk-in availability, according to the city. A number of city-run clinics closed early due to inclement weather.