Winter weather arrives in Hamilton, Halton, Niagara

Environment Canada says Hamilton and surrounding areas could get up to 10 centimetres of snow by the end of Tuesday before potentially changing to freezing rain throughout the evening.

Edward Constance took a quick trip home on his lunch break to get a head start on clearing off his driveway.

“It’s not too heavy, it’s quite soft. It does tend to compact a bit, but it’s not super wet. It’s quite dry, but I’m sure it will melt quickly.”

The snow began falling around the Hamilton and Burlington area during the morning commute and continued until the early afternoon, leaving most roads simply wet.

Over on the Westdale neighbourhood’s King Street, David Kuruc was making sure his customers had a clear walking path outside King West Books.

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“It’s been a pretty easy winter for us, so to have a day like this being out, being active and keeping things clean so people can get around here in the village is always a nice way to enjoy the winter.” he said.

It has been a milder winter this year and Environment Canada says there’s a reason why.

“We have an el nino that has been going on this winter. Usually when we get one, we get a milder winter and this has been the case so far this year.” said Truly Kidd, of the federal agency.

Despite the smaller amounts of snow on the roads, Hamilton police say drivers should still use caution.

“Keeping distance from the vehicle in front of them, breaking more gently. There are many factors that come into play when the snow is falling and the roads are slick like today.” said Indy Bharaj, with Hamilton police.

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CAA says the snowfall is a good reminder to plan out trips to be prepared for larger amounts of snow.

“Stick to those main roads because those are the ones that are going to be plowed first, versus the back end and side roads-they don’t get the TLC like the main roads.” said CAA South Central Ontario’s Nadia Matos.

Meanwhile, the City of Hamilton worked throughout the day to ensure roads were clear, but will soon shift their focus to the warm up and big melt.

“All of that existing snow and ice that has stayed on the ground, we are just going to be watching to make sure our drains are functioning, making sure catch basins are not clogged, that will be our primary focus over the next few days.” said Peter Sniuolis, of the city.