Winter Storm Disrupts Travel in Kingston-Belleville Area

Snow squalls have hit the eastern part of Lake Ontario again, causing accidents that led to closures on Highway 401 on Tuesday.

Environment Canada issued snow squall warnings early that morning, affecting areas from Kingston to Trenton and extending towards Pickering.

The warning was lifted for Belleville and Trenton shortly after noon.

Highway 401 is shut down in both directions between Wallbridge Loyalist Road at Belleville’s western edge and Northumberland’s County Road 30 heading towards Brighton due to multiple collisions involving around 50 vehicles, according to the Ontario Provincial Police and the province’s transportation ministry.

Drivers are advised to follow official detour routes and go to the Duncan Mc Donald Memorial Community Gardens arena on Couch Crescent by the Trenton waterfront if they find themselves stranded and need a place to warm up, OPP mentioned.

Buses are also transporting people from the highway crashes to the arena, as reported by police. Fortunately, there are no serious injury reports.

The westbound lane of Highway 401 is also closed at Lennox and Addington Road 4 due to an accident involving two transport trucks, OPP stated.

Currently, drivers cannot re-enter Highway 401 from that road or from the Napanee ONroute rest stop.

Around 10 Centimetres of Snow Expected

A weaker local warning is in effect for Kingston and Napanee areas. It predicts five to ten centimetres of snow accompanied by gusts reaching up to 50 km/h on Tuesday morning and afternoon.

The warning for Prince Edward County’s south shore anticipates ten to twenty centimetres of snow driven by gusts as high as 70 km/h until early evening. School buses have been cancelled once again in this county.

The warnings are colored yellow, which is the lowest level on Environment Canada’s three-color scale.

The Highway 62 overpass over Highway 401 in Belleville, Ont., around 11 a. m. on Tuesday. (Ministry of Transportation of Ontario)

The wider Kingston area has faced continuous snowfall throughout mid-January. This storm might bring enough accumulation in Trenton to exceed one hundred centimetres since January fifteenth.

Both Kingston and Ottawa are experiencing colder than usual temperatures today: daytime highs around -10 C with overnight lows near -20 C, plus wind chill effects expected for this week ahead.

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