A full plow crew was clearing city streets and sidewalks for what one city official said is the largest snowfall of 2011.
Thirty pieces of plowing equipment, 20 sidewalk plows and 15 sanders were out in full force Thursday after Thunder Bay was blanketed with more than 10 centimetres of snow.
“The snowfall that happened was a little different than forecasted,” said Brian Kral, supervisor for maintenance operations for roads.
But despite the large amount of snow, Kral said the roads division was prepared.
“This is our profession. We all thrive on it. It’s kind of nice to see the snow back again,” he said.
With a regular five centimetre-plus snowfall, Kral said the plows will take one pass on the main roads, which takes about six hours. Then they will hit the residential streets.
Today, they’ve already done three passes on the main lines and expect to do another first thing in the morning.
Environment Canada spokesman Geoff Coulson said Thursday’s snowfall is due to a system moving through the area, which should gradually stop sometime this afternoon.
“We are tracking a low pressure system that is currently going south of Lake Superior, which has ended up giving it an enhanced area of snowfall around the western part of Lake Superior as well as the north shore,” he said during an interview with CKPR Radio.
Once the snow is finished falling, Coulson said residents can expect to have between 10 and 15 centimetres of snow to dig through.
Thunder Bay Police are also urging motorists to drive carefully on the roads.
