Region sees slight reprieve from frigid conditions and snowfall

A tree casts a shadow over a frozen lake.

It was a nice surprise for many on Monday with the sun out and a break from the bone chilling weather.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says Georgian Bay is now almost frozen over. The combined ice coverage on Lake Huron and Georgian Bay sits at 69 per cent well above the average of 39 per cent for this time of year.

That should mean a bit of a reprieve to the endless snow squalls that have gripped the region for months resulting in record amounts of snowfall. Barrie has already received more than 300 centimetres of snow this season.

“In one week, the ice has clearly covered over the lake and the reason for that is we had fewer, lighter winds to break up the ice,” Meteorologist with Environment Canada Dave Phillips said. “If you cut off that surface of moisture you are going to cut down on the snow.”

Environment Canada is quick to say that doesn’t mean we won’t get any more snow, just not as many local snow squalls. The region could still be affected by storms that move up from the United States.

For people who have been stuck shoveling or snow blowing their driveways, many are running out of space to put it all.

Many parking lots are also near capacity with the City of Barrie saying it’s running into similar issues.

Director of Operations with the City of Barrie Dave Friary said, “We are out of capacity here at the operations centre.”

A plow has been compressing down the snow pile for weeks. It’s three times the amount of snow it would normally hold. The local landfill and a third location off McKay Road are now being used to house all new snow loads. Barrie has tripled its snow lift budget for the year clearing over 160 kilometres of city streets.

“160 kilometres was last week so that’s the same as driving from here to the 401 and back, so it’s a long way to go,” said Friary. “It’s a very slow operation and it’s quite costly.”

While the sunny break and slight relief from the cold was nice on Monday, Phillips said it’s going to get bitter cold again soon and will likely stick around.