Westbound 401 closes following 30 vehicle pile up near Woodstock; Dangerous snow squalls to continue
Digital Reporter
Saturday, February 14, 2015, 6:34 PM - Blinding snow squalls have led to dangerous driving conditions across southern Ontario this Valentine's Day.
A 30 vehicle pile up closed the westbound lanes of the 401 near Woodstock Saturday afternoon, reported the Oxford OPP. Luckily, only minor injuries were reported.
"Snow squalls were developing off of Lake Huron around the London/Woodstock area this morning," said Weather Network meteorologist Tyler Hamilton. "Visibility was less than 1 kilometre, and even less in intense snow squalls."
.@NadiaMatosCTV sent this in from scene of a 30-40 car pileup on the 401 near Woodstock. Somehow only minor injuries. pic.twitter.com/In1mdoF3ZV
— Abigail Bimman (@AbigailCTV) February 14, 2015
Motorists are urged to take extra caution and drive according to road conditions.
"Snow squalls are impacting Sarnia, Grand Bend, Kincardine and surrounding areas," said Weather Network meteorologist Tyler Hamilton at 5:00 p.m. local time. "Visibilities will be greatly reduced in snow squalls, which will abate this evening."
Strongly advise against travel tonight along 402 between Strathroy and Sarnia. Nil visibility in whiteouts #onstorm pic.twitter.com/6GlXGDZTDn
— Chris Scott (@ChrisScottWx) February 15, 2015
This was the scene in Bayfield, Ont., Saturday afternoon:
In the snow squalls wake, strong winds are developing which will lead to severe wind chill values across southern Ontario, adds Hamilton.
Extreme cold alerts are in effect for much of the region, including the Greater Toronto Area where it could be a record-breaking cold day on Sunday.
Watch below: The science behind lake effect snow
