Storm rankings rest on verified snowfall totals and dates, and those live in Environment and Climate Change Canada's records. What a homeowner can use is the pattern: what big winter events in Southern Ontario tend to do to a property, and the six lessons that repeat every time.
In This Article
Start with the official record
Snowfall totals, dates and warning history for any past storm sit in the archives at weather.gc.ca, and your city and the Region of Waterloo publish post-storm updates. Memory and hearsay drift, so treat them as prompts for what to look up, not as data. The practical use of a storm history is simple: which months bring the heavy falls, how often a thaw follows them, and how your own driveway coped.
What you can act on today is the pattern. Big events here tend to fall into a few types, and each type stresses a property in a different way. Knowing which one is coming tells you what to do first.
Four kinds of storm that test a property
| Type of event | What it does | Where it hurts |
|---|---|---|
| Deep, fast snowfall | Piles up a lot of snow in a day or less | Driveways refill before a once-a-day pass, plow ridges grow, piles get big, vents and meters can be buried |
| Freezing rain | Coats every surface in glaze | Steps, ramps and walks, tree limbs and wires, and the risk of a power outage |
| Wind-driven snow | Drifts snow and cuts visibility | Driveway ends, walls and fences collect drifts, and wall vents can be closed off |
| Thaw after a big fall | Puts meltwater and rain on top of snowpack | Downspout outlets and low spots, where water sits and refreezes overnight |
Real storms often mix two or three of these. A day of heavy snow followed by a sharp thaw and a hard freeze tests everything on the list.
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Six lessons that repeat
- One pass is rarely enough. A long storm calls for a first pass to keep a path open and a final pass when it stops. Ask any contractor how repeat visits within one storm are handled and billed.
- Early and often beats one big effort. Fresh snow lifts easily. Snow that has been walked and driven on packs into a layer that needs an ice chopper.
- Ice is the second storm. The slipperiest night is often the one after the snow stops, when meltwater refreezes. Keep salt or sand ready for it, not only for the storm itself.
- Vents and meters bury quietly. Drifts can close a furnace intake or exhaust and cover a gas meter. Check them by hand after every event.
- Piles need somewhere to go. A full storm can put more snow on a driveway than the lawn can hold. Decide in advance where the biggest pile goes, and keep it away from the driveway mouth so drivers can see pedestrians.
- People come before property. Shovelling a deep, heavy fall is hard exercise. Clear a path to the door and the car first, and hand the rest to help if you need to.
A thirty-minute prep when a warning goes out
Environment and Climate Change Canada issues snowfall, freezing rain and winter storm warnings. When one covers your area, spend half an hour on this list.
- Fuel or charge the snow blower, and find the shovels, ice chopper, salt and sand.
- Move cars off the street and clear the driveway of anything a plow could catch.
- Walk the edges: stakes in, downspout extensions pointing at the lawn, hoses disconnected.
- Photograph the driveway, lawn edges and mailbox, so any later damage is easy to show.
- Confirm with your contractor how they will keep you informed and how repeat visits work.
- Charge your phones. If you own a portable generator, plan to run it outdoors only, well away from doors and windows, and never in a garage.
After the storm: what to check
- Vents and meters: clear them by hand or with a soft broom. Never chip ice off a gas meter or regulator, and if you smell gas, leave the house and call your gas utility or 911 from outside.
- Downspout outlets: look for ice cones that are spilling water across a walk.
- Roof edges: scan from the ground for heavy icicles or ridges of ice. See the snow and ice damage prevention guide for what they mean.
- Trees and wires: stay clear of loaded branches. The Electrical Safety Authority advises staying at least 3 metres from overhead powerlines and at least 10 metres from a downed line. Call your utility or 911 from a safe distance.
- Roof load: read roof snow removal: when and how before you pick up a rake. If ceilings sag or doors stick, call a professional.
If a storm exposes the gaps in a do-it-yourself plan, a per-visit or seasonal arrangement can fill them. D&D Home Services offers snow removal from $80 per visit for typical Kitchener-Waterloo homes, with seasonal contracts available.
Key Takeaways
- Storm rankings need official data, so look up dates and totals at weather.gc.ca instead of relying on memory.
- Deep snow, freezing rain, drifting and thaw-then-refreeze each stress a property in a different way.
- Ice after the storm is often the bigger hazard, so keep salt or sand ready for the refreeze.
- Once a storm ends, check vents, meters, downspout outlets and roof edges by hand or from the ground.
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