Winter weather travel advisory in effect

A winter weather travel advisory is in effect for the Region of Waterloo and Southern Wellington County, including Guelph, Elora, Fergus and Erin.

“An intense snow squall will move south across the area this afternoon and evening,” the advisory said. “Brief but intense snowfall could affect road conditions and result in significantly reduced visibility.”

“While most areas may only see a few centimetres of snow, accumulations in excess of 10 cm are possible for locations west of Orangeville to Kitchener. As is common with snow squalls, snowfall amounts will be highly variable.”

Those travelling should note several areas to the north, south and west, including Northern Wellington County, are under a snow squall warning due to ongoing lake effect snow off Lake Huron.

“A more intense snow squall will move south across Southern Bruce County this morning and Huron and Perth Counties this afternoon,” Environment Canada says. “In the wake of this snow squall, northwesterly flow off Lake Huron will result in lake effect snow squalls through Tuesday morning.”

Find the full winter weather travel advisory below:

Weather advisory issued for:
   Guelph - Erin - Southern Wellington County, Ont. (046420)
   Kitchener - Cambridge - Region of Waterloo, Ont. (046430)

Current details:
Winter weather travel advisory in effect.

Hazards:
Very poor to zero visibility at times in heavy snow.
Local snowfall accumulations of 5 to 10 cm, except possibly exceeding 10 cm for locations west of Orangeville to Kitchener by this evening.

Timing:
This afternoon and evening.

Discussion:
An intense snow squall will move south across the area this afternoon and evening. Brief but intense snowfall could affect road conditions and result in significantly reduced visibility. While most areas may only see a few centimetres of snow, accumulations in excess of 10 cm are possible for locations west of Orangeville to Kitchener. As is common with snow squalls, snowfall amounts will be highly variable.

Snow squalls cause weather conditions to vary considerably; changes from clear skies to heavy snow within just a few kilometres are common.

Prepare for quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions. If visibility is reduced while driving, slow down, watch for tail lights ahead and be prepared to stop.

For road conditions and other traveller information from the Ministry of Transportation, visit https://www.ontario.ca/511, https://www.twitter.com/511Ontario, or call 5-1-1.

Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada. To report severe weather, send an email to [email protected] or tweet reports using #ONStorm.

More details on the alert are available here.