Those living in Ontario’s cottage country are still trying to dig themselves out of the historic snowfall over the weekend.
Gravenhurst, which is in the Muskoka region, was hit with 140 cm of snowfall and declared a state of emergency, which remains in place Monday morning.
Geoff Coulson, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada says the snow fall seen over the weekend is the most they have seen in the Muskoka region in almost 30 years.
“Some of these accumulations are definitely historic as we as we look back and in terms of some big events of past these amounts that we’re talking about, certainly rival many of the biggest storms we’ve ever had,” Coulson said.
Global New meteorologist Anthony Farnell said it’s unbelievable how much snow fell in short period of time.
“These are numbers that basically are an entire month’s worth of snow in the middle of winter, and it’s occurring really early and all at once,” Farnell said.
He notes that weather like this is unusual given how mild fall was leading to the Great Lakes and Georgian Bay being at record warm temperatures for November.
“Now, all of a sudden, the weather pattern changed, and the winds aligned for day after day and it’s that cold air coming over the record warm water that has created this setup,” Farnell said.
All schools in Muskoka’s Trillium Lakelands District School Board are closed on Monday due to the extreme weather. Ontario Provincial Police is urging the public to stay home in the impacted area, and avoid travelling as Highway 11 remains closed.
Police say hundreds of vehicles and drivers became stranded on the highway over the weekend.
Police warn that additional vehicles on the roads put occupants at risk, and add extra challenges for snow removal, but all obstructions have since been cleared.
Ontario Provincial Police said they are working with the Ministry of Transportation toward reopening Highway 11 to traffic.
Police say the northbound lanes of Highway 11 from West St. Orillia have now reopen. Crews are continuing to work on clearing the remaining snow on both the northbound and southbound lanes between West Street in Orillia and Highway 60 in Huntsville.
The system that battered central Ontario has now moved southwest, with areas like Barrie, Collingwood, Port Elgin, Stratford, Woodstock, and London under snow squall warning, which is expected to last into Tuesday.
Environment Canada warns that some areas could see additional snowfalls between 20 to 50 cm, with near-zero visibility at home possible and power outages in some areas due to the weather.
Farnell said those in cottage country are not out of the woods yet, with the snow expected to hit southern Ontario and move back towards the Highway 11 corridor heading late Tuesday.
He said a system moving from the west will bring additional snow on Wednesday, which will also bring some snow into the Toronto area, with an even colder arctic air mass expected to hit parts of Ontario Thursday.
He warns that more snow squalls are expected Thursday into Friday in some of the areas that have been hardest hit, with another 30 to 50 cm possible in some parts.
“There is rain in the forecast for next week, but until then, it’s just going to be these lake effect bands and people getting hit day after day,” Farnell said. “Unfortunately, hydro crews also are battling just like every resident trying to get to where they need to go to repair power, and that is the big concern, because as time goes on and as it gets colder, it’s going to be more dangerous for those that are stranded out there.”
If it is necessary to travel in the areas impacted, police encourage motorists to use MTO’s Ontario 511 and Traveler Information Service for 24/7 and up-to-date access to road information on provincially maintained highways.
— With files from Global News Isaac Callan</em