Snow continues Wednesday as snowplows work to keep up

Forecasters predict that another 25 centimetres of snow will fall in London, Ont., across the day Wednesday, doubling the amount already on the ground from an overnight dump. 

City snowplow operators have been working since Tuesday when snowfall began and are having a hard time keeping up. Residential streets likely won't get plowed until Wednesday evening at the earliest, said city roads manager Joel Gillard. 

"It's going to be a tough commute for people today and it's going to be a long process for our team to get things cleaned up," he said. "We have an abundance of equipment out there trying to make things passable for people." 

The hazardous conditions forced Western University to cancel morning classes, and school buses within the city of London and in Middlesex County were also cancelled. Some schools north of the city were closed completely, with a full list at the bottom of this story. 

"There are varied amounts of snow in different parts of the city. It's very localized with higher amounts depending on where exactly you find yourself," said Environment Canada meteorologist Steve Flisfeder. 

"Right now, we have very cold air and when the temperatures are that cold it really changes how the liquid in the atmosphere changes into snow, and that alters the fluffiness of what is falling." 

A snow squall warning will remain at least until early afternoon, as well as flurries throughout the day. 

Temperatures will go up as the week goes on, with a chance of flurries every day until the weekend, Flisfeder said. A low-pressure system will make its way into the area on Friday evening, with more snow to add to what we get Wednesday. 

What you need to know about cancellations, conditions 

Provincial Police in Middlesex County and the nearby region are advising drivers of hazardous conditions on area highways and county roads.

The OPP did respond to several collisions early Wednesday but Middlesex OPP Const. Jeff Hare said drivers seem to have gotten into the groove of winter driving. The first big snowfall of the season on Dec. 5 saw Hwy. 401 closed and hundreds of people were stranded in their vehicles for hours.

"We didn't see nearly as many collisions as anticipated, which is a great thing," Hare said. "It always seems that for the first big snowfall, people [are unprepared] and we have to change our mindset from summer to winter driving. Now that we're into it, it does appear people are getting used to it."

Hare also said the collisions that police responded to Wednesday were "thankfully, not that bad".

"Still, we will continue to say the same message: Drive according to weather and road conditions, drive within your ability ... it's always safest to stay behind plows and salters, so don't pass them. Let's all get home as safe as we can," Hare said.

Hare also asked drivers to avoid leaving their vehicles if they end up in a ditch or against the centre median of a highway. He said some drivers abandon their locked vehicles after crashing, in some instances leaving them on the roadway, which is hazardous.

"It's important for us to know where you are and make sure that there's no injuries, and if you do go in the ditch, give us a call," Hare said. "We have a non emergent number, 1-888-310-1122, or you can always call 9-1-1 if you're injured or, anything like that."

School buses in all of London, Middlesex County, and the red zone were cancelled, Wednesday. Most schools remained open. School buses in Elgin and Oxford counties were still running. 

• The following schools are closed: 
  • Valleyview Public School
  • Medway High School
  • Centennial Central Public School
  • Oxbow Public School
  • Wilberforce Public School
  • North Middlesex District High School
  • East Williams Memorial Public School
  • McGillivray Central Public School
  • Parkhill-West Williams Public School
  • EarlyON Centres and child care centres at these locations are closed.
• Western University says all morning, afternoon and evening classes have been cancelled or moved online because of conditions on campus. While the university remains open, Weldon library and the recreation centre will close at 9 p.m. 

Some parts of the city got up to 25 centimetres of snow, particularly the southwest and northwest, Environment Canada said. That amount could double by this evening, meteorologists said.