A winter storm that led to the closure of many roads across southwestern Ontario has mostly moved on, allowing thousands of residents dealing with deep snow and strong winds to begin digging out on Wednesday.
Ontario Provincial Police shut down major provincial highways in Huron, Perth, Grey, and Bruce counties on Tuesday due to heavy snowfall that began over the weekend. In some areas like Kincardine, Brockton, and Saugeen Shores, all rural municipal roads as well as some streets within those towns were also closed.
By Wednesday morning, several of those roads had reopened while others remained shut down. Drivers are encouraged to check local weather updates for the latest information.
Update as of 19 February at 7:37am:
The snow squalls have passed through the Grey Bruce area. Drivers might still encounter drifting snow in open spaces. The #Grey Bruce OPP are reporting the following roads are closed:
Grey Road 30 in Grey Highlands.
The Grey Bruce OPP thank the plough… pic. twitter. com/x H2Nf Spv Zc -@OPP_WR “Yesterday alone, we had 38 collisions. Four of those involved seven or more vehicles, with injuries ranging from no injuries to minor injuries,” said Grey Bruce OPP Const. Krista Linthorne on Tuesday. Snowfall started on Saturday and persisted throughout the long weekend, covering much of the province with a thick layer of snow. While Middlesex, Huron, and Perth counties saw conditions improve by Family Day Monday, Grey and Bruce counties continued to struggle with ongoing snowfall. Environment Canada warned of further snowfall in Grey and Bruce counties; a snow squall warning indicated that up to 70 centimetres more could accumulate by Tuesday night.![]()
Massive snowbanks line both sides of Ontario Hwy. 6 in Bruce County on Tuesday. Captured on a Ministry of Transportation camera. (MTO)
This combination of heavy snowfall and wind leads to poor visibility and slick roads according to Linthorne, who mentioned that many locals are still driving on closed roads.
“We’re urging drivers to limit travel to essential trips only. Essential meaning you have to go. Otherwise, I’d rather people just stay home and ride out this storm and hopefully tomorrow is a better day,” she said.
In Kincardine, Brockton, and Saugeen Shores, it’s best for everyone-including politicians-to remain at home until things clear up. Saugeen Shores Mayor Luke Charbonneau told he’s stuck at home just like most folks in his community.
“We’re pretty well hunkered down and just trying to shovel out our driveways and keep warm,” Charbonneau said. “If you don’t absolutely have to get somewhere, don’t go. Frankly, you can’t go anyways because the roads are closed.”
Charbonneau echoed what many locals shared online about their snowy surroundings during the storm using social media groups designed for sharing updates related to local weather events.
The descriptions included towering snowbanks next to roadways along with front yards covered in waist-deep snow.
“It’s more snow than I’ve seen in a lot of years that’s for sure but people are out having fun with it making the best of it,” the mayor said.
The widespread road closures may have left many stuck at home but they’ve also fostered community spirit as residents share information among themselves.
Justin Morrison has been key in these efforts; aside from being a councillor for Brussels in Huron East he runs a Facebook group called Huron-Perth Weather Watch.
This group has over 15,000 members who find it very helpful during storms like this one.
“What I’m doing with this event specifically is I’m updating a map every time there’s a road closure in any municipality or county or provincial highway I compile all the information into one single location and I publish it out there,” Morrison said.![]()
This map created by Morrison using Google Maps shows road closures across affected areas as of midday Tuesday (Justin Morrison via Google Maps)This interactive map allows locals near real-time access about which roads are currently closed; plus many members help each other out too!
“Everybody’s asking ‘What’s this road like? How much snow is falling in places?’ I mean everyone seems really eager come together answer questions help folks navigate challenges posed by these closures,” Morrison added.
As snowfall continues impacting parts of Grey Bruce while strong winds blow through much Perth Huron police government officials request residents be patient.
E ven where snowfall has stopped clearing so many routes can take longer than expected since plow crews’ resources remain limited explained Charbonneau.
The police encourage everyone do their best stay updated not all blocked routes feature barriers obstructing them even though certain thoroughfares may be clear officers suggest avoiding driving when possible.
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The snow squalls have passed through the Grey Bruce area. Drivers might still encounter drifting snow in open spaces. The #Grey Bruce OPP are reporting the following roads are closed:
Grey Road 30 in Grey Highlands.
The Grey Bruce OPP thank the plough… pic. twitter. com/x H2Nf Spv Zc -@OPP_WR “Yesterday alone, we had 38 collisions. Four of those involved seven or more vehicles, with injuries ranging from no injuries to minor injuries,” said Grey Bruce OPP Const. Krista Linthorne on Tuesday. Snowfall started on Saturday and persisted throughout the long weekend, covering much of the province with a thick layer of snow. While Middlesex, Huron, and Perth counties saw conditions improve by Family Day Monday, Grey and Bruce counties continued to struggle with ongoing snowfall. Environment Canada warned of further snowfall in Grey and Bruce counties; a snow squall warning indicated that up to 70 centimetres more could accumulate by Tuesday night.
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