A winter storm packing powerful winds and heavy snowfall has created whiteout conditions on area roads, wreaking havoc across Chatham-Kent.
Provincial police shut down Highway 401 in both directions between Tilbury and London at roughly 9:20 am after the Elgin detachment reported a 12-vehicle crash in Chatham-Kent near the Ridgetown exit.
“If it is not absolutely essential, stay home and off the roads,” provincial police posted on social media.
Chatham-Kent EMS also tweeted Friday morning: “Our team is currently responding to several motor-vehicle collisions throughout the municipality at this time.
“We are strongly encouraging everyone to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary,” the post added. “Road conditions and visibility in spots is very poorly at this time.”
Chatham-Kent Fire and Emergency Services tweeted about a major collision on Highway 401 near Kent Bridge and another at Communication Road.
“Terrible driving conditions across (Chatham-Kent),” fire department officials posted. “Please stay at home if you’re able to. If you do need to drive, be prepared with an emergency vehicle kit.”
Details on emergency kits can be found online at www.ckfire.ca.
The municipality pulled its snowplows from rural roads at noon Friday after declaring a significant weather event due to forecasted and observed weather conditions, stated a media release.
“Near zero visibility due to blowing snow in outlying areas has resulted in snowplows being pulled from service temporarily,” said Ryan Brown, Chatham-Kent’s public works director. “We will continue to assess the situation.
“Blowing and drifting snow can cause recently cleared roads to become challenging to navigate. Please plan to stay at home wherever possible, or if you must travel, please allow extra time and drive with extra caution.”
Fire Chief Chris Case said police, fire and paramedic crews were fully involved in extricating victims in several motor-vehicle collisions across the region.
“The situation is deteriorating,” Case said. “We’re trying to get people safely out of their vehicles and provide medical assistance. We don’t need anyone to venture onto the roads and create more incidents. Please stay home.”
With snow and high winds, the resulting snow squalls are making driving conditions extremely dangerous. Until pulling its plows, the municipality had deployed all of its resources to clear the roads early Friday morning.
Due to regulatory requirements outlining limits for hours of work, as well as concerns with poor visibility, there would be a period of time when roads could be difficult to drive on, municipal officials said.
A significant weather event is declared under the Municipal Act when a municipality is unable to meet its level of service due to safety regulations governing hours of work.
With this severe weather, municipal officials were asking motorists to make way for snowplows and salters while not following too closely or trying to pass.
The bitter cold winds made it tough for some Chatham residents without transportation.
Betty Gold and her seven-year-old grandson, Joey Brosseau, were spotted walking along Richmond Street on their way to do some last-minute Christmas shopping.
“I wish I would have done this yesterday,” Gold said.
She hadn’t expected the storm to “be this bad,” despite the forecasts.
Gordon Clogg said the weather was “terrible” as he waited patiently at a bus stop on St. Clair Street in Chatham Friday morning.
“I wasn’t quite sure it would be this bad,” he said of the storm.
Clogg said he hasn’t seen a winter storm on this scale since the 1970s.
“But not this kind of wind,” he added.
Melanie Currie, though, was taking the storm in stride as she walked to work in downtown Chatham Friday morning.
Currie said she was watching the weather radar Thursday night and thought the storm would go right around Chatham-Kent, just like many summer storms do.
“This is a big surprise this morning and it’s lovely,” she said.
Currie said she sometimes walks to work, depending on the day and the weather.
“Today, I decided walking is safer than driving, and I don’t want my car to get buried while I’m at the office.”
She said the wind wasn’t too bad as long as she wasn’t facing into it.
“It’s a little eerie being downtown when it’s so quiet,” Currie said. “There’s hardly and traffic on the roads, so it’s nice morning for a walk.”
Ann Quenneville and her husband Kevin were out shoveling snow Friday morning so he could go to work.
She said the storm lived up to what she was expecting – and more.
“I wasn’t expecting this much snow within like eight hours,” Quenneville said. “If it wasn’t for the wind, it would be beautiful. This wind is just nasty.”
The inclement weather prompted the Municipality of Chatham-Kent to close municipal services in Dresden, Ridgetown, Blenheim and Tilbury on Friday.
The Civic Centre, Chatham Service Ontario and the Wallaceburg municipal office remain open.
Chatham Transit is operating but reviewing the situation. For more information and questions on transit, call 519-436-3233.
All branches of the Chatham-Kent Public Library closed at noon, while the Dresden and Highgate branches didn’t open Friday.
All schools in the region are also closed due to the winter storm.
Chatham-Kent and Elgin, Oxford and Lambton counties remained under a winter storm warning from Environment Canada.
The national weather agency was forecasting wind tastes of up to 90 kilometers per hour, sending snow flying and reducing visibility on roadways to “near zero.”
Power outages due to the strong winds also remain possible in the region, Environment Canada said in its winter storm warning Friday.
With files from Jennifer Bieman, London Free Press