Whiteout conditions force school bus cancellations in Grey County

Snow squalls in the City of Owen Sound. (Courtesy: Matt Fisher/File Image)

Snow squalls rolling off Lake Huron made for a messy start to the day in Grey County, prompting the cancellation of school buses in Meaford, Thornbury and Owen Sound on Friday.

The Shared School Services Transportation consortium cancelled routes to Beaver Valley and Georgian Bay schools in the Meaford–Thornbury area.

In Owen Sound, buses were cancelled as well, including in-city pickups, affecting students at Alexandra, East Ridge, Hillcrest, Keppel-Sarawak, Notre Dame, Owen Sound District, St. Basil’s and St. Mary’s.

Environment Canada issued a snow squall warning for the region at 4:15 a.m., stating local bands of lake-effect snow are expected to push through the region throughout the day, with the potential for 10 to 30 centimetres of accumulation.

“Conditions should improve tonight, although poor conditions may persist into Saturday morning for areas closer to Lake Huron,” the weather agency states.

Motorists across northern Grey County and parts of Dufferin County are being urged to plan extra time and avoid unnecessary travel as squalls continue to shift in and out.

“Strong westerly winds gusting to 60 km/h will result in areas of near zero visibility at times in blowing snow,” the agency added. “Travel may be extremely hazardous. Road closures are possible. Prepare for quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions.”