Friday morning is starting off mild, but a cold front will bring strong wind gusts that could knock down trees and affect the power grid.
Environment Canada’s special weather statement for Ottawa warns of, “strong southwest winds gusting to 70 to 80 km/h, along with quickly falling temperatures. These winds are strong enough to cause minor tree damage and a few local power outages.”
Environment Canada says the wind should settle in the evening.
Hydro One sent an email to customers Thursday saying it was preparing for high winds that could cause “hundreds of outages across central and eastern Ontario.”
In anticipation of high winds hitting central and eastern Ontario tonight, crews are being positioned to assess damage and quickly and safely restore power to affected customers. Be prepared for an outage by signing up for alerts and updates at: https://t.co/RO0rMzOEi4 #ONStorm pic.twitter.com/mtc1DO1HEv
— Hydro One (@HydroOne) February 7, 2019
At 7:00 a.m., a wind gust of 66 km/h had already been recorded at the Ottawa Airport.
The Airport tweeted that operations are running smoothly, but still advised travelers to check their flight status before making the trip to the airport.
Operations running smoothly this morning however it’s always a good idea to check the status of your flight before traveling to the airport. #YOW #OttCity
— Ottawa Airport (@FlyYOW) February 8, 2019
The temperature recorded at the Ottawa Airport Friday at 7:00 a.m. was 4°C, but the forecast calls for the mercury to fall to -8°C by the afternoon.