London-area schools closed on Friday ahead of winter storm

School kids, rejoice!

Parents, though, might be another story — the region's public and Catholic schools will be closed Friday, with school boards announcing the closure Thursday afternoon ahead of the expected winter snowstorm that will wallop the area. 

The weather is expected to change Thursday night as rain moves into the London region before temperatures drop rapidly on Friday, leading to a potential flash freeze. 

Weather forecasters say the storm will bring a mix of rain, freezing rain and lake-effect snow driven by high winds on Friday. The storm has the potential to create widespread power outages and disrupt travel plans for thousands of people ahead of the busy Christmas weekend.

In statements announcing the closures, both boards said the decision was made to ensure the safety of students and staff. 

"The safety of all students, staff and community members is a priority and decisions related to school closures are not made lightly," said the public board in a statement.

For the public board, all on-site child care centres and before- and after-school programs will also be closed. 

There will be no learning activities for either board on Friday, including remote learning.

The London school boards made the announcement shortly after several Toronto-area Catholic and public boards also announced closures for Friday. The Avon Maitland District School Board made a similar announcement Thursday afternoon. 

The Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board also announced that its schools will be closed on Friday. The board says students will be able to access learning remotely.

London's French public school board, Conseil Scolaire Viamonde, also announced that its classes would close on Friday.