Winter storm to bring ‘rapidly accumulating snow’; cancellations and closures possible

Batten down the hatches, a winter storm is on the way to Waterloo Region bringing heavy snow and freezing rain.

A snowfall warning is in effect as severe weather is set to begin on Wednesday afternoon and continue into Thursday morning.

Between 15 and 25 centimetres of snow could fall between 3 p.m. on Wednesday and 8 a.m. on Thursday, and as temperatures warm to close to the freezing point over that period, some freezing rain could mix in with that snow.

“Rapidly accumulating snow,” said 570’s Meteorologist Jill Taylor. “After 3 or 4 p.m., the snowfall rates could be 2 to as much as 4 cm per hour. So, that snow is really going to pile up.”

Areas further north of Waterloo Region are seeing significantly higher estimated snow totals of 20 to 40 cm. The weather agency is calling the system “highly impactful” and warns the strong low-pressure system is going to dump a lot of snow across Ontario.

Wednesday’s high in the region is -6 C, but temperatures will rise into the evening to -2 C.

Bus cancellations possible

That heavy snowfall and those icy surfaces could increase the chances of school bus cancellations for the Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) and Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB).

So far this school year, there have been a number of school bus cancellations at the WCDSB and WRDSB for the township routes.

While those township-specific cancellations haven’t happened in a few years, Benoit Bourgault, general manager of Student Transportation Services, noted that they used to be a common occurrence.

“Ten years plus ago, it was a very common occurrence,” said Bourgault. “Weather patterns are changing with climate change. We have to adjust accordingly.”

While those cancellations may not always be popular, Bourgault explains that they can be important for student safety.

“At the end of the day, we have to make a decision based on the conditions,” said Bourgault. “The worst thing that can happen if we make the wrong decision is students have missed a day of school. If we make a wrong decision on the other side then it could be very tragic.”

570 NewsRadio will have all the latest weather information and lists of school bus closures as they’re rolled out.