Snow squall warnings lifted: where things stand after week-long snow event

A resident removes snow off his driveway in Barrie, Ont., on Wed., Dec. 31, 2025.

Barrie and Simcoe County began the weekend free of any weather alerts for the first time in more than a week.

Environment Canada lifted its snow squall warnings for the region Saturday morning, which had been in place since last weekend.

Rain and snow recap

It all started last Friday, when a large system dumped more than ten centimetres of snow on Barrie and much of southern Ontario.

That was followed by the freezing rain last Sunday that led to widespread power outages. Many areas in Simcoe County were under as many as four weather advisories for the rain that was falling and the intense snow to come.

The consecutive snow days then began on Monday, with snow squalls and heavy winds causing whiteout conditions and impacting holiday plans as 2025 became 2026.

Snow accumulating on the roads and heavy winds blowing it across them led to numerous crashes and widespread road closures across Springwater Township.

The City of Barrie cancelled its New Year’s Eve Celebration at Meridian Place, citing challenges for setting up the event and ‘significant’ safety concerns.

Where things stand

According to Environment Canada’s weather summary, its weather stations in Phelpston and Oro Park unofficially counted snowfall totals of 65 and 49 centimetres respectively between Monday and Friday.

Some local municipalities, including Barrie and Midland, have yet to officially rescind their significant weather event declarations.

The City of Orillia re-declared a significant weather event on Saturday, reporting 55 centimetres of snowfall in the city between Thursday and Friday.

Most roads in Springwater Township have reopened.

The City of Barrie advised that crews will be continuing overnight snow removal operations in the downtown area from Sunday night until early Tuesday morning.

Even more snow could be on the way to Simcoe County this weekend, starting with a possibility of up to five centimetres Saturday night and four centimetres on Sunday.