Roads closed, drivers warned as winter weather slams Huron, Perth, Bruce and Grey Counties
Up to 80 centimetres of snowfall is possible in Saugeen Shores, Environment Canada says
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are closing sections of roads in the counties north of the London region due to powerful snow squalls and blizzards forecast to hit the area that spans Huron, Perth, Bruce and Grey counties through Thursday.
Goderich, Huron County, Bluewater and Perth County will get heavy lake-effect snow squalls with up to 20 cm of snow accumulating by Friday, meteorologists say.
Earlier blizzard warnings in Bruce and Grey Counties were downgraded to snow squall warnings, Thursday afternoon. Both counties could possibly see up to 80 cm of snow, according to Environment Canada.
Blyth Road (County Road 25) is closed from Bluewater Highway (Highway 21) to the Perth County border, OPP said on social media.
Brussels Line from Walton to Amberley Road (Highway 86) is also closed.
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HuronOPP?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HuronOPP</a> is closing sections of roads in the northern part of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Huroncounty?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Huroncounty</a> due to poor visibility caused by fresh snowfall and high winds:<br>- Blyth Rd (County Rd 25) closed from Bluewater Hwy (Hwy 21) to the Perth County border,<br>- Brussels Line from Walton to Amberley Rd (Hwy… <a href="https://t.co/1T888kKmVm">pic.twitter.com/1T888kKmVm</a>
—@OPP_WR
Huron County OPP Const. Craig Soldan warned in an interview with CBC News of the potential for rapidly changing weather and road conditions. He said it's imperative for locals to only travel in such conditions if they absolutely must, especially if they're planning to head north into Bruce and Grey Counties.
"I know we sound like a broken record, but every year we find people stranded. Every year we find people that have sat in their cars for hours. They're cold, they've maybe run out of fuel, their cell phone has died. They can't get ahold of anybody," Soldan said.
He warned people who make the decision to travel to prepare for the worse by ensuring they have a full tank of gas, a cellphone charger, blankets and provisions. Soldan also said it's possible more roads will close as the day progresses.
"We don't want to close roads because we want people to be able to get home and get to work and travel. However, if it becomes a safety issue, we have no choice. Usually it's a drifting issue, if the wind is blowing across the roadway. We've had vehicles just hit the drifts and then they spin out of control and collide with another."