While parts of the province brace for a winter storm, in Sarnia-Lambton temperatures are still well above seasonal.
Most of northeastern Ontario is under a winter storm watch with up to 30 centimetres of snow possible starting Tuesday afternoon.
Environment Canada said freezing rain and blowing snow is also expected in parts of southern Ontario from Owen Sound to just north of Kingston.
Sarnia-Lambton could get a couple of centimetres of snow early Tuesday morning, but it likely won't stick around for long with a high of 5 C expected.
According to Sarnia's General Manager of Engineering and Operations David Jackson, at the end of 2023, there was about $300,000 remaining in the winter maintenance budget, which was a total of $1.4 million for the year.
"Some years we've had a significant snowfall by now, so it's been a good start to the year," said Jackson. "But, we are ready months in advance, and we're ready for it when it comes."
Jackson said the city is prepared with 12 snow plow trucks, five sidewalk plows, and six contracted plows for when the snow finally arrives.
"As I said we start planning for the winter months in advance," said Jackson. "Our mechanics make sure all the equipment is ready to go, making sure any new staff that came on throughout the year are trained in our winter maintenance work, and we're meeting with our contractors to make sure they're all lined up and know what the strategy is as soon as we get hit with a winter storm."
In the event of a significant snowfall, motorists are reminded to avoid parking on the street day or night, while snow removal operations are carried out.
