Several municipalities in the Kawarthas region have declared a “significant weather event” in response to significant freezing rain forecast for Sunday (December 28), including the City of Peterborough, the City of Kawarthas Lakes, and Haliburton County (including the Township of Minden Hills, the Township of Algonquin Highlands, and the Municipality of Dysart et al).
Peterborough County has advised it is actively monitoring the weather forecast and may be declaring a county-wide significant weather event if conditions worsen. Individual townships in Peterborough County have already declared a significant weather event, including the townships of Selwyn, North Kawartha, Asphodel Norwood, Douro Dummer, and the Municipality of Trent Lakes.
Municipalities can declare a significant weather event under a regulation of the Municipal Act, which allows them to deem municipal roadways as being in a “state of repair” when a weather hazard is approaching or occurring and has the potential to pose a significant danger to users of the roadways. The declaration is not a notice of a reduced level of service, but notifies residents to exercise caution and that it may take longer than usual to bring roadways back to a state of repair.
In the southern Kawarthas region (southern Peterborough County, southern Kawartha Lakes, and Northumberland County), Environment Canada has issued three “yellow warnings,” one for freezing rain with 5 to 15 mm of ice accretion (build-up) into early Monday morning, one for rainfall amounts of 10 to 15 mm into early Monday morning, and one for strong wind gusts of 70 to 90 km/h beginning Monday morning and easing in the evening.
In the northern Kawarthas region (northern Peterborough County, northern Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton County, and Hastings Highlands), Environment Canada has issued an “orange warning” for freezing rain, with 15 to 20 mm of ice accretion (build-up) into early Monday morning, as well as a special weather statement for strong wind gusts up to 70 km/h beginning Monday morning. For northern Kawartha Lakes, a “yellow warning” is in place for for strong wind gusts of 70 to 90 km/h beginning Monday morning.
Prolonged utility outages are possible, especially in areas experiencing significant ice build-up from freezing rain on Sunday and strong wind gusts on Monday.
The City of Peterborough has also announced that some city facilities closed at 4 p.m. on Sunday, including the Peterborough Memorial Centre, Peterborough Sport and Wellness Centre, Peterborough Museum and Archives, the Art Gallery of Peterborough, Riverview Park and Zoo, and Peterborough Public Library.
Many of the facilities will remain closed on Monday morning until conditions have been assessed, except for the Peterborough Sport and Wellness Centre and Miskin Law Community Complex, which are scheduled to reopen at 7 a.m. for scheduled uses. Both facilities have public spaces that will be available as warming centres and to charge devices, if necessary due to utility outages.
The Peterborough Public Library is expected to open as scheduled at 10 a.m. on Monday, and the Peterborough County-City landfill on Bensfort Road is expected to be open for its regularly scheduled operating hours from 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. on Monday. City Hall and the Art Gallery of Peterborough are closed on Monday as part of their modified holiday schedules.
Haliburton County has announced its administration office will be closed on Monday.
With memories still fresh of the spring ice storm, many residents across the Kawarthas region have been busy over the weekend preparing for the severe weather, including by purchasing supplies, road salt, gas, and generators.
In some hardware stores, including both Canadian Tire locations in Peterborough, generators were sold out early Sunday morning. There were also line-ups at gas stations, with some selling out of fuel.
