Snow business: Winter weather makes first appearance of the season

Snow blankets a backyard in Waterloo, Ont., on Friday, Nov. 8, 2013. (Jeffrey Mueller / MyNews)

It began to melt late Friday morning, but southwestern Ontario residents were treated to the first significant snowfall of the season.

Approximately one centimetre of snow fell in Waterloo Region between Thursday night and Friday morning, with flurries making their way through the area as late as 11 a.m.

Wellington County and other regions to the north saw even more of the white stuff, with snowfalls of 5 cm recorded in some areas.

Oxford County OPP reported several collisions on Highway 401, with traffic reduced to one lane in each direction near the Drumbo Road exit.

Ron Ferguson, a Hamilton resident in Kitchener on business, had his camera out early Friday morning to capture the sudden snowfall.

“I don’t think we’ve had this kind of weather yet,” he said of his hometown.

“I’ve got to show my friends some of these pictures.”

At OK Tire and Auto, Dale Lucas woke up Friday morning seeing the snow and expecting a busy day.

Motorists didn’t disappoint.

“It was pretty busy this morning,” he says.

More wet flurries will fall overnight in Waterloo Region and Guelph, interspersed with rain showers.

Rain will take over Saturday morning and likely end early in the afternoon.

Saturday’s forecast high is 8 C.

For Waterloo Region and Guelph, rain showers and wet flurries are expected Friday night and into Saturday morning as temperatures sink to -1 C.

Rain will end Saturday afternoon, with a 40 per cent chance of showers in the evening and a high of 8 C.

Wet flurries are also expected overnight and into Saturday morning along the Lake Huron coast and inland toward Wingham and Stratford.