Snowfall warnings end for some communities in southern Ontario

A snow storm that blew through southern Ontario had a much bigger impact than expected. CTV’s Krista Simpson explains.

The worst of Thursday’s winter storm seems to be over.

Environment Canada issued an alert early in the morning saying 20 to 35 centimetres of snow was expected across Waterloo Region, Guelph, Brantford, Flamborough and the Greater Toronto Area.

Surrounding communities were told they could get anywhere up to 25 centimetres of snow.

“A low-pressure system will continue to bring significant snowfall to much of southern Ontario,” the alert read. “Very cold wind chills by this morning will add to the adverse weather conditions.”

Rob Kuhn, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, said 21 centimetres of new snow was measured at Stanley Park in Kitchener as of 9 a.m.

“Snow depths ranged from 15 to 35 cm in drifts. Official depth 23 cm,” he wrote on social media.

Two hours later, Kuhn measured 25 centimetres of the white stuff at Stanley Park.

By mid-afternoon, snowfall warnings had been called off for Waterloo Region, Guelph, Brantford, Woodstock, Stratford, Elora and communities to the west.

They remained in place for Milton, parts of Flamborough, Hamilton, Niagara Falls, and the Greater Toronto Area, as of 2 p.m.

More snow than predicted

While the snow was not unexpected, it was much more than initially predicted.

Monica Vaswani, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said the agency initially thought the storm would bring a rain-snow mix to the Windsor and Sarnia areas, with much of the snow falling in communities to the east.

On Wednesday, it was estimated Waterloo Region would get a total snowfall of 10 centimetres.

What forecasters didn’t expect was how much would fall in such a short period of time.

Vaswani said the unofficial total was 25 to 30 centimetres of snow, which she described as “quite significant.”

So, why were the estimates off?

“It was really a question of timing,” Vaswani told CTV News. “Because temperatures dropped so quickly, it quickly transitioned over to the snow, and heavy snow at times, and I think that’s what really caught people off guard.”

Salt shortage

Clean up efforts were hampered by an ongoing supply chain issue.

“The City of Waterloo has been all hands-on-deck working tirelessly to address the roads in Waterloo,” Bob Henderson, the City of Waterloo’s director of transportation services, said in a statement to CTV News. “We continue to navigate the salt supply shortages by using salt strategically.”

Henderson said so far, the city has been dealing with a “remarkably intense winter” and the demand for salt has been higher than usual.

“While the city did experience some shipping delays, we currently have sufficient road salt on hand to manage winter conditions. Environmental concerns around salt use mean that crews are always mindful of using salt carefully and strategically to keep roads safe.”

On the roads

Environment Canada also warned about reduced visibility on the roads Thursday morning due to the blowing snow. Drivers were urged to take it slow.

Near Woodstock, a stretch of Highway 403, between Middle Townline Road and Highway 53, was shutdown Thursday morning due to the challenging road conditions.

OPP reiterated their safety message.

“Officers have almost been struck by oncoming vehicles due to excessive speeds on multiple occasions while out assisting motorists,” they said in a social media post. “Please slow down and adjust your driving to changing road conditions.”

In a social media post at 3:50 p.m., Waterloo Regional Police Service said they had received reports of 105 collisions in Waterloo Region over the last 24 hours.

In an update at 4:37 p.m., OPP Sgt. Ed Sanchuk said officers responded to 217 crashes across southern Ontario since 9 p.m. Wednesday night.

“The snow is still falling, and we still have calls coming in to our provincial communications centre for crashes,” Sanchuk said. “So, we’re asking everyone to please slow down, take your foot off that gas pedal, get to where you’re going safely, but more importantly, get home safely to your families.”

Snow Events

Snow events were issued Thursday for Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and Wilmot.

Drivers were asked not to park on city streets so they could be plowed.

Snow Day for students

The significant snowfall was likely welcome news to students.

Both the Waterloo Region District School Board and Waterloo Catholic District School Board declared Thursday a snow day. All schools closed, as did extended day programs and child care centres, while buses, taxis and special education routes were cancelled.

The University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University, Conestoga College and the University of Guelph also closed all campuses.

Conestoga College said there was the “possibility of reopening this evening.”

Mail delivery cancellations

Canada Post also called off mail delivery in several communities around southern Ontario, including Kitchener-Waterloo or Guelph, due to the wintery weather on Thursday.

This story will be updated as conditions and information changes.