Provincial police are urging drivers to slow down or stay home as snow squalls and whiteout conditions to the west of London make driving treacherous.
A transport truck slid into the median setting off chain reaction collisions between several other vehicles on westbound Hwy. 402 near Hickory Dr., in the Strathroy area around 11am on Thursday.
"There were no injuries at this point, however, lanes are being blocked, vehicles are in the median, and in the ditches," said Middlesex OPP Constable Max Gomez.
All westbound lanes of Hwy. 402 between Hickory Dr. and Longwoods Rd. were originally closed as crews worked to clear debris from the collisions. However, as road conditions continued to deteriorate throughout Thursday afternoon police decided to close Hwy. 402 in both directions from Hwy. 401 in London to Nauvoo Rd. in Watford. There is no indication when the highway will be reopened.
Anyone caught driving around the 402 closure barricades will be issued a fine of $110.
Trucker Paul Buck was one of the many drivers forced to detour around the crashes, taking Hwy 81 toward Mt. Brydges.
"It's a complete whiteout, we are doing about 25 km/h so if you don't have to go anywhere and it is not an emergency then stay home," said Buck.
He said skies were sunny heading west through London until he got to the Colonel Talbot Rd. exit on the 402.
"Do not use what you see out the window as the conditions out on the 402 in the Delaware and Strathroy area," said Gomez. "We are experiencing heavy snow squalls and whiteout conditions on the 402 at this moment. The weather conditions can change rapidly so check the Ministry of Transportation website, the Weather Channel or call 511 to inquire about current regional road conditions."
Anyone who does choose to hit the road is advised to allow themselves plenty of extra time to get where they are going, take it slow, and leave extra space between their vehicle and the one in front of them.
Environment Canada has London-Middlesex, Sarnia-Lambton, and Huron-Perth under a snow squall warning. Flurries and snow squalls are forecast to drop up to 45cm of snow on the area by Friday night.
An extreme cold warning is also in effect with evening lows expected to fall to -20 C, but will feel closer to -30 C with the windchill. Temperatures are expected to return to more seasonal values on Sunday, but flurries remain in the forecast through to next Wednesday.