School buses cancelled, police warn drivers to go slow after snow blankets Waterloo region and area

Overnight snow and freezing drizzle led to school buses being cancelled and several crashes on local streets and highways Wednesday morning in Waterloo region, Guelph and Wellington County.

The area remains under a yellow snowfall warning on Wednesday. Environment and Climate Change Canada says morning travel is expected to be "challenging."

"Roads and walkways will likely be difficult to navigate due to accumulating snow. Visibility will likely be reduced at times," the warning says. "Allow extra time for travel."

There were several collisions reported in the area and on Highway 401 Wednesday morning before 7 a.m. due to a slippery and snowy drive.

Grand River Transit reported an emergency detour on Route 27 Morrison because Morrison was closed due to the weather.

"Winter has definitely arrived," OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. "We've got some wet, snowy, slippery roads out across the GTA and really southern Ontario. This system is huge and it is bringing snow to all parts of the province."

He said there were about 100 collisions overnight. He noted people should brush off their vehicles, prepare to brake sooner due to slippery conditions "and just slow way down."

Waterloo Region District School Board said schools are open Wednesday and extended day programs and child care centres located in the schools are open and operating. All school sporting events for students are cancelled for the day.

"As always, parents, families and caregivers may choose to keep their child(ren) home if they feel it is unsafe to travel to school. If you keep your child home, please call the school to report their absence," the school board said.

A second yellow warning for freezing drizzle has ended.

The "yellow" warnings are part of a new weather alert system from Environment and Climate Change Canada. The lowest and most common alert level is yellow.

Snow events declared

Kitchener, Cambridge and Waterloo have declared snow events, which means parking is banned on city streets.

In Kitchener, residents had until 2 a.m. Wednesday to remove their cars from the streets. This will allow plows to clear snow.

The parking ban will remain in effect for 24 hours. Overnight parking exemptions are cancelled to allow for snow clearing.

In Cambridge the ban begins at 7 a.m. and in Waterloo, residents are asked to move cars by noon Wednesday.

Snow, drizzle expected Wednesday

The Environment Canada forecast said snow mixed with periods of drizzle were expected through the day on Wednesday with up to 10 cm of snow. The high is expected to reach 1 C.

Overnight, flurries may continue but winds will become light with a low of –9 C.

Thursday is expected to start out cloudy, then see a mix of sun and cloud and a high of –4 C.

Snow is in the forecast through to Sunday.

Be cautious near water: GRCA

The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) issued a statement Tuesday saying people should stay away from water bodies for on-ice activities such as skating or ice fishing.

"Recent cold temperatures and early-season snowfall have resulted in the formation of thin ice on local rivers, reservoirs, ponds, and lakes across the watershed," the GRCA said.

"While ice may appear to be forming earlier than in previous years, ice conditions remain highly unstable, unpredictable, and unsafe for any type of recreation."

The authority said changes in temperatures will impact ice stability and people are encouraged to "exercise extreme caution around all local waterways and is strongly advised to stay off all ice at this time."