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Quinte, Ontario was home to the largest January snowfall ever recorded.
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Environment Canada reported that Quinte was hit by a howler of the blizzard, which set a new single-day precipitation records with 32.4 centimetres snowfall or approximately 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 on roads and highways, with Highway 401 closed and vehicles stranded along the roadside.
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 they worked throughout the day to fulfill calls for service.
Municipal public works crews had a tough job clearing the snowy accumulations as the storm ended later Monday.
Belleville Mayor Mitch Panciuk thanked Belleville’s city staff for clearing snow from streets and sidewalks.
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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 950km of roads, 230km sidewalks, and paths between city parking lots and other areas. 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 fortunate to have such a dedicated group of people who care about our city.
Environment Canada issued a blizzard alert at 7:57 AM Monday, warning motorists and residents to stay off the roads.
Residents were advised to expect hazardous blizzard conditions. Heavy snow and strong winds could cause widespread near-zero visibility and heavy snowfall.
Forecasters blamed snowstorm on massive low pressure system moving south of Great Lakes. [that]The region is currently experiencing significant snowfall and blizzard conditions.
Poor visibility is expected to make travel extremely dangerous. Visibility of near zero is expected to make it difficult or impossible to travel. It could have a significant effect on urban rush hour traffic. Environment Canada stated that there may be a significant effect on urban rush hour traffic.
