Snow squalls paralyze midwestern Ontario

A road closed sign is seen in Bruce County during a snowstorm in December 2016. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)

Mother Nature has greeted midwestern Ontario with a vengeance this weekend, as the region has been paralyzed by snow squalls for multiple days, creating dangerous road conditions for drivers.

Huron-Perth and Grey-Bruce remain under a snow squall warning from Environment Canada, and warn of additional heavy snowfall and blowing wind. 

On Sunday, multiple road closures due to the snow squalls and blowing snow were in effect across the region, and local police services and OPP warned the public of hazardous driving conditions.

As of Sunday afternoon, Highway 6 from Hepworth to Wiarton is closed, Hwy 21 from Port Elgin to Kincardine is closed, as is Highway 26 from Owen Sound to Meaford, according to a Facebook post from the Saugeen Shores Police Service.

In addition, Highway 21 between Alvanley and Saugeen Shores has extremely bad driving conditions with drifting high snow, which caused several vehicles to end up in the ditch, Saugeen Shores police added.

Saugeen Shores police urge drivers to “Please stay off the highways."

Wingham, Ont., is seen on Nov.19, 2022 as it is walloped by lake-effect snow. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)

Squalls are also causing limited visibility in areas stretching from Stratford to Tobermory. The northern part of Grey-Bruce, especially the Bruce Peninsula, are taking the brunt of the winter storm, with some areas seeing as much as 60 centimetres of snow over the past few days. 

The past two nights Perth County OPP have urged drivers to stay off the roads due to limited visibility.

Crashes and collisions have temporarily closed roads throughout the storm, as it takes longer for emergency crews to get to and clear the scene, due to inclement weather. 

OPP remind drivers that if they have to be on the roads during hazardous driving conditions to clear their vehicle of snow, turn on their vehicle’s full lighting system, slow down, and drive according to changing weather conditions.

The snow squall warnings are forecasted to end Sunday night.