The last:
- Multiple road closures. Details below.
- Most flights in and out of London International Airport are cancelled. WestJet is suspending all flights from Pearson on Friday saying the weather situation across Canada is “unlike what we’ve experienced.”
- Southwestern Ontario school boards are closed to students on Friday.
The winter storm is making its way around London, Ontario, with outages outside the city limits and slick roads making driving conditions difficult across the region.
Environment Canada has warned that this weather system could affect weekend vacation plans as all emergency officials tell drivers to stay off the road.
Widespread power outages are also possible, Environment Canada said.
- If your device’s power or data is low, get storm updates on CBC Lite. It’s our low-bandwidth text-only website.
Hydro One, Ontario’s largest electric utility, has said crews are ready to respond to any outages. Toronto Hydro has reminded customers to update their emergency equipment and said additional equipment is ready to support customers through the weekend.
The city is ready
Early Friday, snowplows and salt trucks were out with plans to work all day. The council’s road operations manager asked drivers to give way to the plows so they can do the work.
“We’ve got 24 hours after the snow ends to clear it all up and we’re going to continue to snow today and into the evening. So we’ll clear it up through Saturday and probably Sunday,” said John Parsons.
Road conditions
OPP Cst. Jeff Hare says the 401/402 corridor is the site of one of the worst traffic scenes he’s ever seen. (OPP)
Police on Friday reported multiple collisions on the 401 and 402 that have closed major stretches of the freeway. Rural roads are also closed in some areas.
- Middlesex OPP responded to a 50 to 60 vehicle pileup on Highway 402 at Kerwood Road.
- Highway 402 was closed in both directions between Sarnia and London, according to provincial police.
- The 401 was closed in both directions between Tilbury and London.
- Several vehicles were involved in a collision at the junction of the 401-402 motorway in south London.
- Police closed all roads in Perth County and Huron County.
- Fire crews were on scene on westbound Highway 401 at Iona Road and Currie Road, where the road was closed due to a collision involving multiple trailers and vehicles.
- Hwy 4 from Clinton to Teeswater was closed at 12.30pm
- For the latest on OPP road closures and reopenings, visit their Twitter profile here.
Const. OPP Western Region Spokesman Jeffery Hare advised all drivers to make sure their lights are on and they have a full tank of fuel in case they are pulled over.
Seriously, if you don’t need to travel, STAY HOME. pic.twitter.com/d1iZPwBDYz
—@OPP_WR
Drivers on the road during the morning commute reported that trips that would normally take 10 minutes turned into 45-minute trips, with snow and ice. Most people who had gone out warned others to stay home, if possible.
Firefighters are responding to a multi-vehicle collision on Highway 401 between Iona and Currie roads (OPP)
The London Transport Commission (LTC) is running as usual, and passengers are being warned to expect delays.
“If conditions worsen to the point that buses are unable to navigate, we will make the decision to reduce service. The first step would be to not run on the side streets. But we will monitor throughout the day,” said Kelly Paleczny. director general of the LTC.
air travel
People with plans to board planes out of London will be going nowhere as flights out of the city were cancelled. Those bound for Mexico were still posted to depart Friday morning, and airport officials told ticket holders to check flight status.
WestJet canceled all flights arriving and departing from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport on Friday. The cancellations started at 9am and will continue until the end of the day. The airline said a “restart” depends on weather conditions for Saturday.
The message Friday was to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary. Whiteout conditions were present during the morning commute as people traveled slowly along snowy streets like Riverside Drive in London, Ont. (Colin Butler/CBC News)
“The prolonged and extreme weather events that continue to affect various regions of Canada are unlike anything we’ve experienced,” WestJet Chief Operating Officer Diederik Pen said in a statement Thursday night.
Open warm-up centers
The London Public Library welcomes Londoners to stay warm indoors during normal opening hours.
The following community centers also opened as warming centers on Friday.
- Stronach Arena located at 1221 Sanford Street (9 am to 7:30 pm).
- Medway Arena located at 119 Sherwood Forest Square (7am to 7pm).
- Earl Nichols Arena located at 799 Homeview Road (8 a.m. to 10 p.m.).