Wednesday's 15-centimetre snowfall in Montreal caught everyone by surprise — including those whose job it is to make sure streets and sidewalks are clear of snow, ice, and water.
The city was in the midst of a snow removal operation to clean up after Sunday's 15-centimetre snowfall, and now, the city says it's plans have been altered somewhat.
Thursday's forecast low in Montreal is -10 degrees, and that means the water on the streets will freeze over, and very quickly.
"We are racing against the clock, at this point, to make sure that we can take all the slush away from the sidewalks before it gets colder, and then it freezes," mayor Valerie Plante told a news conference on Thursday.
I picked the worst weather to walk home in. Your three options: Walk on wet ice while flailing your arms and praying, ruin your shoes and pants by trying to make it across slush, or bring a paddle boat to sail across puddles the size of small nations. #Montreal #mtl pic.twitter.com/dyRQk6fcvT
— Saif Kaisar (@StaySaif) January 24, 2019
On Wednesday afternoon, the city's strategy was to leave some snow on the sidewalks, and let the rain get absorbed into it. However, that resulted in many of the city's streets becoming lakes by Thursday morning's rush hour — and led to viral videos like these.
For now, the mayor says crews will continue the snow removal job, while a the same time keeping some crews on salting duties.
"The snow removal operation will continue, for obvious reasons — we don't want mounds of snow to freeze over," Plante says, "but we also have to have reams deployed for other duties to make sure sidewalks are clear, and that abrasives are spread."
City spokesperson Philippe Sabourin says it's all hands on deck for its blue collars — 3,000 workers, and about 2,200 city vehicles, are on duty, and will be until further notice.
Not sure which option this person took... pic.twitter.com/iuycB9AOh3
— Saif Kaisar (@StaySaif) January 24, 2019
For now, though, that figure does not include the city's famous ice-crushing machines, which were purchased last year with much fanfare, and still have yet to make their maiden run on the city's streets. "We really need ice to use those. Right now we have slush," Sabourin said.
Once again, he suggested the coating of ice needs to be an inch thick on the sidewalks before those machines can be trotted out.
Plante says she and her team are watching the operations closely over the next hours and days, and are prepared to make adjustments according to need.
In the meantime, the city says the snow removal job, which is now 60 per cent complete, will be done by early next week, instead of the original Friday target date.