London region digging out from snowy blast – with more to come

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The London area woke up Wednesday under a continued snow squall warning following a heavy dump of snow overnight that forced the cancellation of school buses and classes for thousands of kids across the region. 

An additional 15 to 25 centimetres of snow was expected to fall throughout the day thanks to a storm system off Lake Huron that wasn’t likely to taper down until late Wednesday, officials with Environment Canada said. 

“Travel is expected to be hazardous due to reduced visibility in some locations,” the national weather agency warned. “Rapidly accumulating snow could make travel difficult over some locations. . . . Prepare for quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions.” 

The storm system that started Tuesday forced the Tuesday cancellation of school buses in London, Middlesex County and those coming to London from the surrounding counties, the so-called red zone. 

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But school closures weren’t widespread. 

As of 8 a.m. Wednesday, the Thames Valley District school board had only closed the following schools: 

• Valleyview public school in Ilderton  

• Medway High School  

• Centennial Central public school in Arva  

• Oxbow public school in Ilderton  

• Wilberforce public school in Lucan 

• North Middlesex District high school in Parkhill 

• East Williams Memorial public school in Ailsa Craig  

• McGillivray Central public school in Ailsa Craig  

• Parkhill-West Williams public school in Parkhill 

The London Catholic District school had only closed Sacred Heart in Parkhill and St. Patrick in Lucan. 

Western University cancelled classes or moved them online until at least 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday while Fanshawe College officials said all its campuses were open and classes would proceed as scheduled. 

In an update shortly before 7 a.m., London city hall officials said trucks and plows had already been working to clear main roads and bus routes for nearly 24 hours, with work continuing “for the foreseeable future” on Wednesday. 

“All road and sidewalk plows have been dispatched and will work throughout the day today with a focus on the main routes and returning tonight for a full cleanup,” read a city hall statement. 

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Though no major crashes had been reported in the city or the surrounding areas, London police were asking drivers to take precautions while on the road. 

“If you must go out in inclement weather, slow down, maintain space between your vehicle and others, and give yourself plenty of extra time,” police said on social media.   

Wednesday’s big dump was to be coupled with freezing temperatures, with Environment Canada forecasting a daytime high of -8 C, feeling more like -15 C. The bone-chilling temperatures were expected to continue Thursday, with a daytime high of -5, dropping at night to -10 C. 

jjuha@postmedia.com 

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