Has the Texas low got you down? Hang in there, because there’s more where that came from.
“We’re not quite done yet,” said Environment Canada meteorologist Gerald Cheng.
Canadians can be forgiven for feeling like Mother Nature has it out for them this winter — especially after Monday’s storm that brought blizzard-like conditions to Simcoe County and many parts of the province.
Storm systems like the one Monday are not uncommon.
“It’s just that, lately, (the weather) has been quite active,” Cheng said. “The jet stream keeps bringing storms to Ontario. Every week, we have a big one.”
The region saw a “generally mild” start to winter this season, which often tends to be a sign of worse things to come. Last winter, the season had “a really abrupt start” with extreme cold, Cheng noted.
On the heels of Monday’s storm, the region is now dealing with below-seasonal temperatures. Orillians can expect to experience that again Wednesday.
Environment Canada is calling for snow beginning in the morning, with 20 km/h wind, gusting to 40 km/h early in the afternoon. The temperature with wind chill is expected to be -21 C in the morning and -16 C in the afternoon.
Cheng’s advice: Be patient.
“Patience is key if they want spring,” he said.
The frequency of the storms this season has led to many bus cancellations in Simcoe County. Snow days are nothing new.
However, the Simcoe County District School Board took the rare step Monday of closing all schools in its north and west zones.
“The inaccessibility of our buildings due to severe inclement weather, road conditions and power outages necessitated school closures in the north and west zones,” said Sarah Kekewich, the board’s communications manager. “Bus cancellations are more common than school closures. We follow our procedures in the Education Act when it comes to decisions regarding closures.”
It’s unknown when, exactly, the board last closed so many schools in one day due to weather, but “it hasn’t been in recent history, definitely not in the last five years,” Kekewich said.
