Mayor urges Hamiltonians to stay off roads, check in on loved ones as major winter storm arrives

A major winter storm is hitting the Hamilton area Sunday with up to 35 centimetres of snow expected over the next several hours, according to Environment Canada.

The federal weather agency has issued orange warnings for snowfall for Hamilton, Burlington and Niagara Falls, and a yellow snowfall warning for Brantford.

Orange is the second-most serious of Environment Canada’s three colour-coded warnings before red and after yellow, the least serious.

Mayor Andrea Horwarth is encouraging people to avoid unnecessary travel and to take care of one another as the city declared a significant weather event effective 12 p.m. Sunday.

“Hamiltonians — the winter storm has arrived — please stay safe,” Howarth wrote in a post on X.

“If you can, stay indoors, off the roads, and check in on loved ones and neighbours.”

Horwath said road crews, police, firefighters and paramedics “are out there doing their utmost to get us through these difficult conditions.”

City facilities closed

In a post on X, the City of Hamilton said all city facilities including arenas, community centres and Gage Park Greenhouse closed at noon Sunday.

All museums are closed, according to the city. The emergency warming centre at Bennetto Community Centre will remain open.

Hamilton Street Railway says customers can check for their next bus using the real-time trip planners.
(Hamilton Street Railway/X)

The city says Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) will be operating on its usual schedule, but service may be slow due to the weather conditions. Customers can check for their next bus using the real-time trip planners.

Meanwhile, HSR says the Disabled and Aged Regional Transit System (DARTS) is ceasing operations effective immediately due to inclement weather conditions and increasing snow accumulation in the forecast.

McMaster University cancels programs, events

McMaster University has announced its closure for the remainder of Sunday due to the significant snowfall affecting Hamilton and the region.

“All programs and events scheduled for Sunday afternoon — in-person and remote — are cancelled, except for clinical placements in health professional programs, which will operate at the direction of the education program,” the university announced on its website.

“Students are encouraged to communicate with their clinical supervisor.”

McMaster University says it will update the community at 5:30 a.m. if it will close on Monday. (Georgia Kirkos)

The university said all McMaster facilities that are currently open will be closed. All eateries are closed except for those in residence. Anything not defined as essential is also closed, including activities scheduled to happen remotely.

The university said it will update the community at 5:30 a.m. Monday about any further closures.

With the heavy snow today, Hamilton International Airport is advising travellers and those picking up people from the airport to check their airline flight status and updates before heading to the airport.

“Allow extra time on the roads to get here safely,” the airport said on X.

Burlington expecting up to 40 cm of snow

Samantha Mauti, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, said Burlington will get the most of the snow that’s due to hit the area, followed by Hamilton and Niagara Region.

“We’re expecting 20 to 40 centimetres [of snow in Burlington,] with blowing snow and wind gusts of 50 km/h,” Mauti told CBC Hamilton.

Hamilton and Niagara can expect 20-35 centimetres of snow, while Brantford could see 10-20 centimetres, Mauti said.

Orange is the second most serious of Environment Canada’s three colour-coded warnings after red, and before yellow — the least serious warning. (Environment and Climate Change Canada)

Mauti said the snowfall is expected to be heavy at times throughout the rest of the day and into the evening.

“We’re expecting that intensity to ease late this evening and into the overnight,” she said, adding that light snow is expected to continue into Monday morning.

Mauti said the storm is the result of a low-pressure system coming up from the United States, with southern Ontario at its northern edge.

City of Hamilton’s snow clearing update

In its significant weather event declaration, the City of Hamilton has provided the following update on snow clearing:

• Transportation crews will focus on all Priority 1 and 2 roads and will continue to respond to escarpments, parkways and main roads once snowfall begins.

• The extremely cold temperatures mean salting will not be as effective, so crews will be using a salt and sand mix.

• Snow storage in urban areas will be impacted due to the accumulation, with snow removal operations to follow.

• The city has activated its full complement of equipment for plowing and salting. The city’s plow tracker is a useful tool for tracking where maintenance vehicles have been in the last two, four, 12 and 24 hours.

• The City of Hamilton’s Snow and Ice Bylaw No. 03-296 requires property owners and/or occupants to clear snow and ice within 24 hours of the end of a snow event from the sidewalks adjacent to their property, as well as roofs that overhang the city sidewalk. In the case of a significant weather event declaration, property owners and/or occupants have 24 hours after it’s declared over to clear their property.