UPDATE: The winter weather travel advisory was lifted at 10:46 a.m. Thursday.
Wet weather that brought rain and snow to the London, Ont., region — leaving roads slick and ice-covered — is set to take a bow Thursday afternoon with a last blast of snowfall.
A winter storm warning was issued Wednesday, later replaced by a snowfall warning. As of Thursday morning, the only weather notice in place for London and Middlesex County was a winter weather travel advisory.
The advisory from Environment Canada warns that “after a brief break early (Thursday) morning, snow is forecast to redevelop near noon.”
The region could see 4 cm to 8 cm of additional snowfall by the time the snow tapers off in the evening.
The national weather service advises motorists to be on guard for quickly changing conditions due to reduced visibility or snow-covered roadways.
Provincial police add that winter tires aren’t an excuse to drive like it’s a clear summer day.
“Winter tires are only as good as a driver behind the wheel,” OPP Acting Sgt. Ed Sanchuk told Global News on Wednesday.
“(Just reduce) your speed and drive according to road and weather conditions. A lot of times, we have snow on top of the roadway, but what people don’t realize is that there may be a layer of ice underneath that snow, so it makes for some pretty tricky driving.”
OPP reported Thursday morning that road conditions were poor with sections of Highway 401 and Highway 402 “very slippery” and ice-covered.
The City of London’s roadside operations unit has been busy since Wednesday morning, with division manager John Parsons telling Global News that afternoon that salt trucks began traversing London’s main streets Wednesday morning and it was expected that the entire fleet of snowplows would remain busy into Thursday.
Deployment of roadside operations teams is based on accumulation and anticipated accumulation, as designated by the province, with the heaviest used routes, like Highbury Avenue and Fanshawe Park Road, considered highest priority, or Class 1, and cleared when there is under 5 cm of snow.
Roadways like Dundas, Oxford, Southdale and Wharncliffe are considered Class 2 routes and cleared when there is 5 cm, while local streets are considered the lowest priority, or Class 5, and cleared when there is 10 cm of accumulation, within 24 hours after snowfall ends.
— with files from Global News’ Matthew Trevithick
Comments