Region gets first snowy blast: Squalls forecast and school buses cancelled
Southwestern Ontario got hit with a big blast of winter overnight and is in for even more snow in the next 24 hours.
Londoners woke up to between 14 cm and 16 cm of snow, which fell overnight. Another 50 cm is expected to fall Monday and into Tuesday morning, at rates of 5 cm to 10 cm per hour.
DON'T MISS: Get ready: Snow piles up in a hurry across Canada in December
"Be prepared for visibility to be suddenly reduced where you're driving," said Environment Canada meteorologist Nadia Jagdeo. "Because of the spatial extent of the snow squall you can be driving in a pretty clear area and then suddenly your visibility drops very suddenly."
London neighbourhoods became a winter wonderland overnight. (Kate Dubinski/CBC)
School buses are cancelled Monday morning and Environment Canada has issued a snow squall warning for the London region, predicting rapid accumulations going into Tuesday. Most schools are open, but some in Middlesex County are closed, including:
North Middlesex District High School
East Williams Memorial Public School
McGillivray Central Public School
Parkhill-West Williams Public School
Wilberforce Public School
London Transit is operating, but there are service delays because of the weather and road conditions. Officials are asking riders to give themselves extra time and to be patient.
City crews are working to clear city streets. Snow accumulation is highest in the northeast of the city, officials said.
Londoners woke up to 16 centimetres of snow, with up to 50 centimetres expected to fall into Tuesday. (Angela McInnes/CBC)
The snow comes from northwesterly wind flow off Lake Huron, Jagdeo said, which can cause conditions to vary considerably depending on the location. Changes from clear skies to heavy snow within just a few kilometres are common, and road closures will be likely.
There could also be some power outages due to the heavy, wet nature of the snow. The Environment Canada forecast is also calling for a risk of a thunderstorm Monday morning, winds up to 15 km/h, with a high of zero degrees.
WATCH: Snowy sights around Ontario as snow squalls deliver
This article was originally published for CBC News.
Thumbnail image courtesy: Andrew Lupton/CBC