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Quinte was the scene of one of the biggest January snowfalls ever recorded in Ontario.
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Environment Canada reported that Quinte saw a howler of a snowstorm set a new single day precipitation record with 32.4 cm of snowfall and roughly 13 inches of precipitation.
Environment Canada’s website stated that the snowfall was almost double the 16.8 cm snowfall recorded at CFB Trenton weather stations in 1994.
According to the federal forecaster, winds gusted at 31 km/h with a windchill of -19C adding a wintry touch to the snowstorm.
The storm caused havoc along roads and highways, closing portions of Highway 401 and leaving vehicles stranded on the sidelines.
Ontario Provincial Police described the conditions Monday as “terrible” and closed off sections of Highway 7.
Yesterday saw a flood of requests for help from social media groups in Belleville, Quinte West, and Prince Edward County.
Unconfirmed reports have indicated that people were injured and required medical attention after clearing snow from their homes.
Snow plow operators were in high demand and worked all day to respond to calls for service.
Municipal public works crews had a tough job clearing the snowy accumulation. The storm finally subsided on Monday afternoon.
Belleville Mayor Mitch Panciuk thanked the Belleville City Staff for their hard work clearing snow from sidewalks and roads.
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All of our city staff who work on winter storm cleanup deserve a special thank you. 60 people work together to clean 950 km roads, 230km of sidewalks, and paths between city parking lots. The mayor posted on social media that they continue to work and would do so all night.
The cleanup of this major storm will take place over the next few days. He wrote that we are lucky to have such a dedicated and amazing group of people who care about the city.
Environment Canada issued a blizzard alert at 7:57 AM Monday, warning motorists and residents to stay off the roads.
Residents were warned to expect dangerous blizzard conditions, heavy snow and strong winds. This would result in widespread near-zero visibility and heavy snowfall rates of 8-10 cm per hour in morning, with blowing snow gusting up to 60 km/h.
Forecasters blamed the snowstorm upon a massive low pressure system that was moving south of the Great Lakes. [that]This area is currently seeing significant snowfall and blizzard conditions.
Due to poor visibility, travel is expected to be very hazardous. Near-zero visibility will make travel difficult or impossible. This could have a significant impact upon urban rush hour traffic. Environment Canada believes that urban traffic may experience a significant reduction in rush hour,