Your commute to and from work on Friday could be a messy one.
Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for London, Parkhill, Strathroy, Komoka, Eastern Middlesex County and Western Middlesex County, warning of another significant snowfall on Friday.
A disturbance brewing over the southern plains states is expected to move towards southwestern Ontario Thursday night and into Friday, bringing another blast of snow with it, the national weather reporting agency said.
Snow is expected to arrive before dawn and will continue through the day. Both the Friday morning and evening commutes may be impacted.
“We’ll see that snow start in earnest around 4 a.m. There will be a couple of centimetres on the ground by the time we have the morning rush. That snow will continue to fall, heavy at times, during the course of the day Friday,” said Geoff Coulson of Environment Canada.
The latest indications suggest we could see 10 to 15 centimetres of snow.
London’s fleet of salt trucks and plows are ready to be deployed, but the timing of the snowfall isn’t ideal for snow removal.
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“Just like the storm the other day, this one is expected to come in during the morning commute,” said John Parsons, division manager of transportation and roadside operations for the City of London.
“That means salt trucks and plows will be in traffic as well.”
“Our first response will be with our salt trucks–we have 27 salt trucks with front plows and wing plows. As the snow accumulates, we’ll be rolling into plowing as well,’ he said.
Both Parsons and Coulson said to give yourself extra time to get where you’re going on Friday.
Parsons adds if you have a car and are able to park it in the driveway during the day or even overnight Friday, it would be very helpful for plows.
“It’s a challenge when we have to plow around parked cars,’ he said.
Lisa McIntyre travels from the south end of the city to the north end for work, and tells 980 CFPL the snow adds a lot of extra time to her commute.
“Instead of getting home by 6 p.m. by bus, I’ll probably be home by 8 p.m. In the morning, I’ll have to take the bus earlier. Instead of leaving at 7:50 a.m. to be at work by 9:30, I’ll probably have to leave around 7 a.m.,”she said.
Friday isn’t the only day we’ll be seeing snow.
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“Looks like the shot of snow that’s coming through on Saturday may not be the same type of amounts we’re going to see on Friday,” said Coulson
“Another system coming up from Texas will bring snow to the area on Sunday. The snow may not last that long, starting Sunday morning and ending Sunday afternoon, but this system is packing a lot of moisture, so it’s something we’re going to watch closely,” he said.
Besides the snowy weather, London is also under a cold weather alert.
The Middlesex-London Health Unit issued the city’s fifth cold weather alert on Wednesday. It’s expected to last until at least Saturday.
The Environment Canada forecast calls for overnight low temperatures to reach -8 C through to the weekend.
Officials are urging everyone to make sure they dress warmly if they have to head outside as exposed skin can be damaged by the cold in minutes.
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