snow in march
 

hi folks
im going to be going to Ottawa march 1st,im thinking of flying into toronto and driving up to ottawa from there, give done this before in october,my worry is snow, could someone advise to the best of there experience if i will hit snow on the drive up there in march, i think if im going to then i might try to fly into ottawa, flying to ottawa from scotland is not a direct flight and dont fancy this route

thanks

Re: snow in march
 

March is still the depth of winter here. Expect snow in April too. Ground only starts to defrost in May.

Not sure how long the drive is, or how the highways are, but I am sure someone will come along and give you more info. :)

Re: snow in march
 

This will give you some idea from Environment Canada
Weather beyond 12 hours is pretty unpredictable.

Re: snow in march
 

VIA Rail can be an option?

401 is a major highway, its usually cleared v.well. unless of course a huge snow storm is predicated...but snow here in ONtario, is a given.

My husband drives on the highway daily to get to work. if that helps any.

Happy Travels

Re: snow in march
 

Basically, if there has not been any proper snow in the 24-48 hours prior to you landing, you will be o.k, but if a snowstorm come in and drops 20+cm all over the 401 its going to be messy.

I have had this conversation with a lot of visiting guests since zoom went bust and they had to rebook to other airports.

If you are coming for a while no biggie just stay in Toronto until the highway is clear.

As a side note , local friends in Ottawa who have family in Toronto don't plan to visit in the car during winter....... it may be clear on the day they go down but things can change here.

Re: snow in march
 

the drive from Toronto to Ottawa with good traffic and weather is approximately 5 - 6 hours . yes March is still snowy here and the
highways are always cleared first here

Re: snow in march
 

I think that's excessive. I commuted Toronto to Ottawa for a year. When there was heavy snow I used the 400 series highways instead of cutting up through Smith Falls; slow but safe.

Re: snow in march
 

Fair enough, they have 2 kids under 2. But you know what its like, if one of the storms come in - do you really want to be driving that after a flight in a rental without snow tires?

Overall, fly into Ottawa, get a train, or be prepared to delay if a storm is blowing through.

Re: snow in march
 

Snowfall in March in Ottawa is very variable. In recent years we've had anything from 1cm to 113cm.

If you do go to Toronto, bear in mind that the traffic on Friday afternoon and Sunday afternoon is horrific. It could easily add a couple of hours to an already long drive.

If you are determined to drive, why not fly to Montreal? It's only 90 minutes from Ottawa and the 417 is far more humane that the 401.

Don't try VIA Rail. It's an OK way to travel but I wouldn't make it part of any trip that involved a connection.

One option you may like to consider is hubbing through the USA. Several US airlines have daily flights from Edinburgh. Continental would probably be your best bet. It flies daily, non-stop, to Newark, from where it operates several (short) flights a day to Ottawa. Delta is another option.

Re: snow in march
 

I don't know how that's any different from driving your own car (once you work out where the wiper and light switches are). I don't think many people would buy snow tyres if their regular driving was just Toronto to Ottawa.

I think this:

" be prepared to delay if a storm is blowing through"

is very short sighted. If you live in Canada you can't delay because there's a storm, in fact you have to drive more when there's a storm as the school buses don't run; you have to drive the kids to school and then go to work. You may as well start off we the realistic expectation that, in Ontario, you will often have to drive in snow.

Re: snow in march
 

Wow, DBD, that's a bit harsh, and going to scare someone who's new to this. (And given your current Avatar - "Prisoner of Snow!!!)
Don't misunderstand me - but I think Souv is right. It would make much more sense to fly into Montreal and have a 90 journey minutes instead of 6+ hours. We all had our "first real snow storm drive" in the winter weather here and probably poohed ourselves - I did. But not when I'd just got off the aircraft.
I just feel for this family arriving with kids at the wrong end of a 7-8 hour flight and having to drive up to 401 which in summer is pretty horrific - so in winter....
And just another thought - if you hire a car in Montreal it's going to have snow tyres - yes? I mean - it's Quebec where they are compulsory - right?

Re: snow in march
 

It is harsh, granted, but I don't think it's unrealistic. This morning there was light snow (that is, what I now consider to be light snow, enough that the headlights were more effective dipped than on full beam but little enough that the centre line on the road was visible in spots). It's not really safe to be driving along unable to see very much but that's just routine for here.

I think people should get to grips with the idea that there's a lot of bad weather in Ontario, there are a lot of weather related collisions and delays. It is frightening to drive between giant trucks unable to see very much and at constant risk of being swept off the road by their slipstream or clobbered by bits falling off the ill maintained rigs. This is no place to drive but, unless you live in central Toronto or Montreal, driving is a major part of life. I think people should be scared.

Re: snow in march
 

Driving through Montreal is scary enough without snow!! :eek:

Re: snow in march
 

but flying into Dorval (sorry, I mean Trudeau) and driving to Ottawa doesn't involve driving through Montreal (which I've never found any worse than any major European city to drive in, by the way - you need to keep your wits about you and have a fair idea of where you're going and how to get there, but that's the same anywhere, especially anywhere unfamiliar).

I'd second all those who suggest driving from Montreal as the best route if a flight to Ottawa isn't an option. Somewhat shorter flying times from the UK, and a much shorter drive on potentially much less busy roads.

Re: snow in march
 

I agree on the arriving at Dorval option...when leaving the airport head for Autoroute 40 and not 20 if going to Ottawa. Going on 20 takes you through that stop/start section in Dorion/L'ile Perot of traffic lights etc and Autoroute 40 is a non stop route. Take the 520 to the 13 to the 40...clear as mud. Autoroute 40 out of town in Montreal is pretty easy driving and then once you get off the island of Montreal it is pretty clear sailing on the 40 and then 417. Be aware, however, that once you get past Rigaud,QC there isn't much in the way of restaurants or other pit stops until you get to Casselman, Ont or Innes Road on the east edge of Ottawa.

Re: snow in march
 

If you are considering living here, you might as well get used to dealing with snow. Unless its a complete blizzard, you will be OK even if it does snow. The country is set up to deal with it and snow clearance on major highways is pretty speedy. Highways are rarely closed due to weather alone, its only if there is a major pile up that progress is seriously hampered, so just drive according to the conditions.

Of course, if you are going to Ottawa, it makes more sense to fly to Ottawa, rather than deal with Toronto trafic and a longish drive after that. Are there no feeder hops from Toronto to Ottawa?

Re: snow in march
 

I sort of agree with you but I'd suggest that getting onto the 20 is easier and quicker. You can then pick up the 40 at Dorion, or continue to the 201 and then head up to Rigaud.

Re: snow in march
 

It makes even more sense to fly Continental, Edinburgh-Newark-Ottawa.

Re: snow in march
 

Funny, I do drive my kid to school, but when the busses are cancelled I dont as there is no bugger there and its basically a wasted day for her, and she cant get home as there are no busses to fetch her.

Not everyone behaves the same way that you do;) Some of us can even see out of our vehicles driving in the snow as we clear the snow from them, defrost the windows and make sure we have enough washer fluid:p And if its really bad, we just go at a different time and no one fires us.

Re: snow in march
 

Which is fine if you have someone at home to look after her. If both parents work then, when the schools are open, the kids have to go, bus or no bus. Even the client I'm at now, one of the most lenient employers I've heard of, takes a dim view of people not coming to work just because there are no school buses.

Granted, I don't clear the snow or ice off the car but, today, and many other days, that makes no difference, if there's falling snow or fog driving by braille is the order of the day.

Re: snow in march
 

Isn't another option to head west on the 20 and then go north on Boulevard Morgan or get off the 20 at Blvd des Anciens-Combattants (hmm, seems like some sort of PC bi-lingual translation there) in Ste Anne de Bellevue. Getting off the 20 at either of those two is a quick trip NB to the 40 (the two highways are very close at that point). You then avoid the conjestion further to the west where the 20 has traffic lights.

Re: snow in march
 

Round these parts if the buses are cancelled it's because the schools are closed. Do the buses get cancelled before the schools close in ON?

Re: snow in march
 

Yes. A day with school closures indicates really bad weather, a day with bus cancellations not so much.

Re: snow in march
 

Probably about 10 -15 times last year. The school was only shut once or twice. This year there have been a lot fewer cancellations, only two so far. I think some parents must have complained, and to be honest I did wonder about it a few times last year as it didnt seem all that bad to me.

The bus that runs my kids across town to the highschool (where she transfers to the one that brings here home) continues on up "north of seven", and its often cancelled because of conditions up there that bare no resemblance to the local conditions. Its a bit annoying to be honest.

Re: snow in march
 

One reason, I think, for taking the 20 out of Trudeau, as opposed to the 40, is that it's easier to find for people who are not familiar with the area.

It's also more user-friendly. The 40 north of Trudeau is a bit of a racetrack and perhaps somewhat intimidating for people not used to Montreal driving methods. If you take the 20 to Dorion and then pick up the 40, you miss the drama (and the trucks). We did it last week, having overnighted at the airport Hilton. It added little to the journey time.

Re: snow in march
 

wow, thanks folks for your input, thats given me alot more research to do now :thumbsup:

Re: snow in march
 

Why not take a cheapy flight to Gatwick from Edinburgh and then fly with Air Transat direct to Ottawa?

Ignore post - Transat site looks a bit weird ... looks like a direct flight to Ottawa is possible on one page, but then decides not possible on another part of the site .. weird!

Re: snow in march
 

hi trish

ye thats what i was thinking to a cheepy to gatwick then direct to ottawa, by the way thanks for the help trish on the househunting side of things your a star :thumbsup:

Re: snow in march
 

I don't think Air Transat and the other charters run London-Canada flights in winter.

Re: snow in march
 

Hey, I am not sure how much you were considering paying for flights but currently Continental Airlines are offering flights on their website at £464pp.

The route involved is GLA-EWR-YOW-EWR-GLA (return flights) - the one way offer is £643pp. (sorry, work in travel the above is Glasgow, Newark (New York), Ottawa!!!)

I would rather have a connecting flight than drive in snow any day!!! You only have to wait 3 hours in Newark - with kids that's not too bad.

:thumbup:

Re: snow in march
 

Air Transat (which operates through Canadian Affair - same prices) do not feature Ottawa in Winter.

Re: snow in march
 

Taking the 20 from Dorval means being able to stop for a Coffe and maybe some food before heading onto the 520/417 towards Ottawa. Going into Montreal I always take the 40, but coming out i almost always use the 20.

The worst part of driving in snow for me is when snow comes off the roof of transport trucks. It's law to clear off your vehicle, but how would a transport driver do it?

Re: snow in march
 

Transport drivers are often the worst as they are stored overnight outside.

However, I also see many people who just brush their windscreen off with their hands, turn on the rear defogger and hope for the best. They don't give a monkeys about people behind them who get a wall of snow from the cars roof, bonnet etc.

Re: snow in march
 

<waves>

Getting snow on your car is just a feature of having a car in Canada, not a cause for fuss.

Re: snow in march
 

My issue with cars and snow on the roof etc flying off is that it just takes a few minutes (while the car is warming up) to brush off the roof, boot, bonnet etc so that the snow doesn't blind the cars behind. Some people can't be bothered to do it.

Re: snow in march
 

I'm among them. Prancing around in the cold with a brush seems pretty pointless to me, I just bash a square about a foot across in the ice in front of me and drive on.

Re: snow in march
 

Remind me not to drive behind you in your travels across upper Appalachia

Re: snow in march
 

And some of us try to but have probs getting it all - being 5ft tall and clearing the snow off the roof of a Jeep Liberty ain't easy! :blink:

Re: snow in march
 

Heels.

Re: snow in march
 

Holy crap! That would need to be a huge set of heels! :eek: