A winter storm warning remained in place for the London and Middlesex region Wednesday afternoon, with Environment Canada calling for total snowfall accumulations of 20 centimeters or more by Thursday night.
The warning, first issued around 6 am Wednesday, covers most of southwestern Ontario. In the London region, the national weather service says snowfall rates may reach up to two centimeters per hour at times.
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Steven Flisfeder, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada, says local residents should expect the heavy snowfall to continue through Wednesday night before easing overnight into Thursday.
“Through the early hours of Thursday morning, there’s going to be some smaller snowflakes, but there’s going to be increased winds, so blowing snow is going to cause some visibility issues on the roads,” he said.
Flisfeder added that whether the region will be clear of snow through the day Thursday depends on the movement of the low pressure system tracking across southern Ontario and parts of the United States.
“It’s (a) very difficult situation with that northern edge really just grazing right across the area,” he said.
“We do still expect accumulations of 15 to 20 centimeters at least, and then depending on how far north that northern edge of the snow line reaches, you could be looking at another five centimeters with the snow tomorrow.”
Those looking for some relief from the frigid weather will have to wait a bit longer, with colder than normal temperatures expected until at least the third week of February, maybe longer, Flisfeder said.
John Parsons, division manager of roadside operations with the city, said in an interview early Wednesday afternoon that salt trucks had been out on London’s main streets since the morning, and that it was expected the entire fleet would be out on the roads by the evening hours.
Deployment of roadside operations teams is based on accumulation and anticipated accumulationas designated by the province, with the heaviest used routes, like Highbury Avenue and Fanshawe Park Road, considered the highest priority, or Class 1, and cleared when there is under five centimeters of snow.
Roadways like Dundas, Oxford, Southdale and Wharncliffe are considered Class 2 routes and cleared when there is five centimeters, while local streets are considered the lowest priority, or Class 5, and cleared when there is 10 centimeters of accumulation, within 24 hours after snowfall ends.
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“We were already out as early as (Wednesday) morning on our main roads and bus routes, salting them… and we’ll continue with that throughout the overnight hours and into the morning,” Parsons said.
All of the city’s sidewalk plows have been operating since early Wednesday morning, Parsons said, adding that contracted units will be deployed later in the day once accumulation gets heavier.
“We have 55 sidewalk plows that will be deployed this evening. We have our 28 road sanders and salters – those units also have a front plow on them so they can be considered a plow as well. In addition to that, we have 72 road plows, ”Parsons said. All will be out on the roads overnight.
“It’s also important to know that we have a ban on overnight parking, so that’ll help us get through the city and through our local streets a little bit quicker. So we hope everybody observes that, ”he continued.
Those venturing outside of the city are also being urged to drive according to the conditions.
“What we’ve been finding is people are still driving like it’s 90 F (32 C) outside, like it’s a nice, hot, sunny day,” said OPP Acting Sgt. Ed Sanchuk.
“We’ve always told people to invest in winter tires, but winter tires are only as good as a driver behind the wheel. Just (Just reduce) your speed and drive according to road and weather conditions. A lot of times, we have snow on top of the roadway, but what people do not realize is that there may be a layer of ice underneath that snow, so it makes for some pretty tricky driving. ”
Sanchuck said OPP officers across the Western Region, which includes all of southwestern Ontario, had already dealt with numerous accidents on the roads by the early afternoon.
“If you can stay home, stay home. But if you have to travel, make sure your entire vehicle’s cleaned off, ”he said.
“Make sure your entire headlight system is on so you’re visible to the motoring public. But more importantly, please reduce your speed and drive according to the road and weather conditions. ”
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