Even the snowplows are having a tough time on the ice.
Jack Frost whipped his way through Thunder Bay overnight, blanketing the city in a thick cover of wet, heavy snow and leaving residents with no choice but to dig out before heading to work on Friday morning.
Kasmir Drewno was among those clearing a path to the outside world, and tried to look at the bright side of winter’s initial visit.
“At least I don’t have to go to the gym today,” he said, hauling snow out of his driveway and piling it on a hastily built snow bank along Balsam Avenue.
Though he’s used to winter weather in Thunder Bay, thought he overnight dump was a bit much for a first snowfall.
“It came in one dump. If it was a little bit at a time, in increments, it’s a little easier to handle. It’s heavy to shovel,” Drewno said.
He’s indifferent to the arrival of winter weather.
“I’m not a skier and I’m not an outdoorsman, but it doesn’t matter to me if it’s here or not. It’s just that I have to shovel it, and that’s gonna be a pain,” he said.
Next-door-neighbour Ihab Abdel-Aal has lived in Thunder Bay for a dozen years, but had no idea snow was about to hit the city.
After all, on Thursday golfers were still teeing it up at a pair of local courses.
“It was a surprise, surprise,” he said.
“Actually I didn’t sleep at my house last night and I got up early in the morning and had a message from my son asking if I could drive him to school later on. He said there are no school buses today.”
School board officials cancelled classes at all rural schools, and cancelled all bus service, leaving students and parents to fend for themselves to get their children to school on time.
Abdel-Aal said he didn’t mind the snow.
“It’s OK, for the first time,” he said. “I am used to it.”
Environment Canada meteorologist Geoff Coulson said snowfall measurements were heavy in places.
“Some folks are actually measuring 20 to 25 centimetres from this even, again a lot of it falling in the overnight areas,” he said.
“There was a brief period when the snow came down really heavily in those overnight hours.”
Coulson added the storm appears to have pushed away from Thunder Bay, though the North Shore and other areas alongside Lake Superior are still being battered.
Local businesses are also reaping the benefits, including Kamview Nordic Centre, which is opening at 1 p.m. with 15 kilometres of trails open and ready for cross-country skiers to use.
“This is a week earlier than last year and one of the biggest early season snowfall's we have had in years,” said Kamview’s Marianne Stewart in an email.
Thunder Bay Police are asking motorists to beware of driving conditions. By 8:30 only three collisions had been reported to police, who cautioned drivers to slow down while city crews clear the streets.
“Make sure your windows are clear of snow. Check over your vehicle and carry an emergency kit if you’re traveling any distance this winter. Stopping is going to be challenge today, so plan your stops by allowing for the extra time and distance it will take to keep control of your vehicle,” Thunder Bay Police executive officer Chris Adams said in a release to media.
Meanwhile the city is set to implement calendar parking restrictions.
While they won’t go into effect officially until Monday, city officials are asking that residents adhere to the rules starting on Friday.
“Based on the snowfall overnight, we must now begin to enforce winter parking restrictions,” said Parking Authority manager James Coady.
Calendar parking enforcement applies to priority routes, marked by signs in hospital, school zones, transit routes, downtown cores and emergency routes from 2 am until 7 am. Restrictions will also be in effect for streets subject to calendar parking restrictions from 9 am until 5 pm.
