'Terrible' driving conditions as London area hit with heavy snowstorm Thursday
Multiple collisions and road closures as rapid snowfall makes for treacherous conditions
London and the surrounding area is facing multiple road closures, collisions and treacherous driving conditions Thursday afternoon as heavy snowfall continues to blanket the region.
The wicked hit of winter weather picked up on Thursday afternoon just as the commute home began, leading to road closures that in some cases left drivers stranded in their vehicles.
Environment Canada's forecast is calling for snow squall conditions with the potential to dump up to 30 more centimetres of snow on London and surrounding regions by morning. They also warned about near-visibility conditions as the squalls deliver rapid snowfall, in some cases at rates of up to 10 cm an hour.
Police are telling drivers to stay off the roads if possible.
"The driving right now is terrible," said OPP Const. Jeff Hare while. "The snow is making conditions very difficult right now. It is not nice out here."
This story will be regularly updated with information about the weather and roads as it comes in.
WATCH | The CBC's Isha Bhargava with a storm update from downtown London:
Closures, cancellations across region
Below is an updated list of road closures as of 8:30 p.m. ET.
Highway 401 closure: Westbound lanes on Highway 401 between Putnam Road and Culloden Line are expected to reopen to traffic by 9 p.m. The section of the highway, west of Ingersoll was closed for several hours due to multiple collisions. One person was taken to hospital in critical condition, the OPP said.
Eastbound traffic through the area is slow. Const. Ed Sanchuk said some people are stuck in their vehicles. He asked them to be patient until the police can get to them.
Jackie Lemmink was among those stuck on the road. She was driving westbound on Highway 401 near Ingersoll when she was forced to stop on the highway due to multiple collisions in front of her.
"It's standstill, it doesn't look like anything's moving," she told CBC News in a phone interview. "I've been in contact with my whole family. There are trucks upon trucks, and there's so much traffic that's at a standstill. People are starting to come out of their cars to find out what's going on because we don't have any idea."
Veterans Memorial Parkway: The northbound lanes of Veterans Memorial Parkway have re-opened at Gore Road however police are advising drivers to avoid the area. Southbound lanes remain closed. This is the result of a transport truck striking a sign at the railway overpass, causing it to come down.
Boler Road pedestrian struck: Boler Road in west London has been reopened in both directions between Commissioners Road West and Norman Avenue as of 5:45 p.m. The road was closed for about an hour due to a motor vehicle collision involving a pedestrian who was transported to hospital with non life-threatening injuries.
School closures: Earlier in the day, all London District Catholic School Board and Thames Valley District School Board schools were closed, along with Western University campus and all on-campus classes and exams.
Transit delays: London Transit riders are being warned to expect service delays as the snow event progresses, according to the City of London.
Flight cancellations: At the London airport, the remainder of flights departing to and arriving from Toronto have been cancelled.
Health units closed: The Strathroy and London offices of the Middlesex-London Health Unit are also closed. In a statement, medical officer of health Dr. Alex Summers said the decision was made out of "an abundance of caution." All appointments are cancelled and will be rescheduled.
Library closes early: The London Public Library announced the early closure of all its branches city-wide at 2 p.m., Thursday, with plans to reopen on Friday at 1 p.m., weather permitting. All Friday programs were cancelled, the library announced.
Power outages resolved: There were power outages reported in Byron earlier in the day on Thursday but by 3 p.m., London Hydro was reporting on X that all power had been restored.
In-person city services closed: All City of London facilities, including City Hall, Citi Plaza offices, Ontario Works offices, and the Provincial Offences Administrative Office, will be closed for the remainder of today. All community centres and city-run recreation centres are closed until noon on Friday.
Overnight on-street parking banned, city says
Officials with the City of London issued a message to residents as the storm picked up early Thursday afternoon, warning of hazards like power outages and fallen trees and branches.
The city asked residents to report tree-related issues through the Service London website.
"Overnight on-street parking is banned until further notice and registration to park overnight is closed," the City's warning reads. "Please move vehicles off streets to make sure snowplows can get through as the snow falls."