THUNDER BAY – The city found itself square in Mother Nature’s crosshairs.
Environment Canada warning preparedness meteorologist Geoff Coulson said reports indicate between 30 to 35 centimetres of snow fell in the Thunder Bay area as of about 7 a.m. Thursday morning.
Initial forecasts had predicted between 15 to 20 centimetres of snow in the city with more precipitation expected south of the city towards the border but the storm hit north harder than expected.
“I definitely think we got more than anticipated in Thunder Bay,” Coulson said. “As the storm evolved we saw heavier precipitation go north and get right into Thunder Bay itself. For a good part of the storm the biggest and heaviest amounts were occurring right in Thunder Bay.”
Radar forecasts show snow continuing to fall into the late morning, with another couple of centimetres of accumulation expected before slowing into flurries in the afternoon potentially followed by sunshine.
It was the hardest the city has been hit so far this winter.
“I think this is a pretty significant event with the snowfall spread out over two days, a good chunk falling during the day (Wednesday) but snow continuing to fall overnight,” Coulson said.
“Looking at previous events so far this winter this one certainly stacks up as the most significant one-event type snowfall we’ve had in the Thunder Bay area.”
The barrage has kept city road crews busy as they try to keep up with the falling snow.
Plow operations were put on hold early Wednesday evening to allow for an early Thursday blitz to clear roads in time for the morning commute. Four sanders were kept in service throughout the night.
A city media release issued Thursday morning said 22 graders and eight plows were deployed at 2 a.m. to hit streets, starting with main roadways. Operators who completed their mainline routes were shifted to their designated residential routes after 8 a.m.
Sidewalk clearing began at 3 a.m. with main routes expected to be cleared by noon.
Both Lakehead University and Confederation College re-opened their campus Thursday morning with classes proceeding as scheduled after shutting down Wednesday afternoon.
