It’s been a treacherous couple of days in the Kingston region. Mother Nature has delivered everything from ice, snow and now rain. Early Monday morning, the weather forced fire crews to jump into action after a hydro pole caught fire in the city’s west end.
According to Hydro One workers, the weather is to blame for the burnt out hydro pole along Armstrong Road. They say a combination of ice and water around some of the wires caused the transformer to blow up. As a result, power had to be shut off for more than 50 nearby customers, including The Frontenac Mall.
Meanwhile, the wet, snowy and icy conditions created a messy commute for drivers. Whether it was trying to manoeuvre through the snow or drive through pools of water, it wasn’t easy. For those taking on the elements one step at a time, like Tory Pearson, it was frustrating getting around.
“I just got sprayed from some runoff from multiple cars from the melting snow. It is not fun walking around on the streets, everything is kind of messy.”
City crews were kept busy during the day clearing and salting roads, as well as making sure bus stops were cleared of ice and snow. The rain and ice made sidewalks slippery, forcing some people to dig out their winter spikes for their shoes in the middle of April.
According to Environment Canada, Kingston, Napanee and Picton are expected to see a significant amount of rainfall throughout the day, from 20-30 mm more, but it should taper off by Monday night. As the rain slowly melts the snow, the next concern for many people is the amount of water that will be left behind.
WATCH: Both Kingston and the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority says they were well prepared for the weekend’s bad weather. Now they have to focus on the cleanup.
Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority said that they had been preparing for the weekend’s ice storm since last Monday, so when it hit, their water managers had shored up dams in the region to prepare. Now they are warning residents of potential flooding, saying that with the melting ice and the remaining layers of ice on the ground, the water has nowhere to go but in lakes and water systems.
City officials are more focused on the cleaning of catch-basins, and encourage homeowners to be proactive and help out by moving the snow away from the drains on their streets.