With a snow squall warning in effect calling for up to 40 centimetres of snow possible by Wednesday, Prince Edward County has declared a significant weather event.
The county confirmed the declaration in a public notice issued during the night of Monday, Jan. 20, 2025.
“After reviewing Environment Canada’s regional weather alerts and observing the current weather conditions, the County of Prince Edward is declaring a significant weather event in the municipality,” reads the notice.
Just before issuing the notice, officials noted a significant amount of snow had already fallen in the last few hours, especially in the southern portion of the county.
On Monday, Environment Canada issued a snow squall warning for the region, saying Lake-effect snow squalls will continue Monday night and into Wednesday morning.
Heavy lake-effect snow with accumulations of 20 to 40 cm, particularly over the southern portion of the county, are possible, note Environment Canada officials.
This will reduce visibility – resulting in near-zero visibility at times – in heavy snow and blowing snow, say officials.
What’s more, the Lake-effect snow off Lake Ontario is supposed to intensify this evening. Locations from the Sandbanks to Milford and south will likely experience the highest snowfall amounts, say officials.
Westerly wind gusts up to 60 km/h are also a possibility and will lead to “significantly reduced visibility in blowing snow.”
Officials also note that snow squalls cause weather conditions to vary considerably – changes from clear skies to heavy snow within just a few kilometres are common. Travel is expected to be hazardous due to the reduced visibility in some locations. And rapidly accumulating snow could make traffic difficult as well, explain officials, who are also urging people to postpone non-essential travel until conditions improve.
At the county level, during a significant weather event, this means residents should use extra caution as the municipality may not be able to meet its maintenance standards for roads and sidewalks due to heavy snowfall.
However, the declaration will not change how or when the municipality tackles its winter maintenance operations – but it may take staff longer than usual “to bring the roads back to a state of repair.”
“The safety of the public remains a priority for the municipality and every reasonable effort will always be made to meet the winter maintenance service levels,” adds staff.
The municipality will update the public when the significant weather event has ended.
County officials also continue to urge residents to avoid travel if possible. If people must travel, drive according to the conditions and give snowplows lots of space as they clear the roads, say staff.
For more information, the county can be contacted at 613-476-2148 ext. 1023, 613-962-9108 ext. 1023 or via email at info@pecounty.ca.
Residents can also monitor alerts and forecasts by Environment Canada online.
(Written by: Sarah Hyatt)
