Listen to this article
Estimated 3 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
It’s expected to be a cold and snowy weekend in southwestern Ontario, with Environment Canada issuing warnings for both a blizzard and extreme cold.
An orange blizzard warning is in place for London, Huron and Middlesex Counties, as well as eastern Lambton County. A yellow warning for extreme cold is in place across all of southwestern Ontario.
Blizzard conditions began Friday afternoon, with snowfall amounts of around 15 to 20 centimetres expected by Saturday morning. Strong winds gusting to 80 kilometres per hour will lead to near-zero visibility at times, the weather agency warned.
“For those exposed areas, particularly near the Lake Huron shore, visibility is going to be atrocious,” said Trudy Kidd, a meteorologist with Environment Canada. “Travel will be very dangerous. It’s best to avoid it, if possible.”
Environment Canada has issued a yellow warning for extreme cold across southwestern Ontario, and an orange warning for blizzard conditions in Huron and Middlesex Counties, as well as eastern Lambton County. (Environment Canada)
Kidd said the winter storm is due to a low-pressure system moving into the area, with northwesterly winds bringing lake-effect snow squalls off Lake Huron and cold Arctic air.
Temperatures are expected to drop sharply on Friday night, with wind chill values of -30 C to -35 C, Kidd said, adding that the cold is expected to continue into the weekend, with -13 C during the day on Saturday and -18 C overnight.
Roads closed due to severe weather, poor visibility
The following road closures were in place as of 7:30 p.m. Friday due to “severe weather, poor visibility, and deteriorating road conditions,” according to police:
Highway 23 (from Mitchell to Palmerston). Highway 21 (from Amberley to Port Elgin).Bruce Road 3 (from Paisley to Port Elgin)Highway 9 (from Kincardine to Bruce Road 1)Ilderton Road (from Denfield Road to Hyde Park Road)
Multiple closures are also in place on Highway 402 due to collisions. Westbound lanes are closed between Centre Road in Strathroy and Kerwood Road in Kerwood. All lanes are closed in both directions between Mandaumin Road in Sarnia and Oil Heritage Road in Wyoming. Driver injuries in both accidents are still being assessed, police said.
Accidents earlier in the day, including a turned-over transport truck and a vehicle that flipped into a ditch, had also caused closures on eastbound lanes of the 402, according to Ontario Provincial Police, and those lanes have since reopened.
Police are urging drivers to be cautious.
“The roadways are snow-covered. They’re slick, slippery, and, in certain cases, ice-covered,” said OPP Sgt. Ed Sanchuk. “So you need to reduce your speed.”
Kidd had additional advice for anyone who needs to travel during the storm. Make sure you have jumper cables in the car, she said, as well as warm winter clothes in case any trouble arises.
If anyone needs to be outside, she added, bundle up — frostbite can develop in minutes on exposed skin, especially with the wind, she said.
Kidd said the storm should subside by the end of the weekend, with only a chance of flurries forecasted for Sunday night.
“I’m expecting the worst of it will be over by then,” she said.