As localized flooding in some areas worsens due to hours of non-stop rain, Middlesex County has declared an emergency.
A rainfall warning issued by Environment Canada, that has since ended, stated that upwards of 100 millimetres of rain could fall by Thursday morning.
According to the municipality, some regions in the county have already experienced heavy rainfall in the past 24 hours which has submerged some roadways.
"Many roads in the County are underwater and are in danger of washouts," read a release sent out by Middlesex County Wednesday evening. "As a result of this significant rainfall, Middlesex County is closing a number of county roads at this time and watching many others."
The heaviest period of rain was expected to fall overnight Wednesday at rates of 15 to 25 mm per hour.
“We are urging all residents of the County to stay at home until conditions improve. We will keep the public updated as more information becomes available," said Warden Cathy Burghardt-Jesson.
As of 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, county officials have closed several roads and are watching others that may also end up being closed.
All roads in Southwest Middlesex are closed until further notice.
Roads in the remainder of Middlesex County affected by the closures are:
• Pike Road from Mullifarry Drive to Napperton Road (Adelaide Metcalfe) • Napperton Road from Kerwood Road to Pike Road (Adelaide Metcalfe) • Elginfield Road from Centre Road to Cassidy Road (North Middlesex) • Petty Street from Centre Road to Narin Road (North Middlesex)
The county said it continues to watch the following roads:
• Cassidy Road from Elginfield Road to McGillivray Drive (North Middlesex) • Mullifarry Drive from Centre Road to Pike Road (Adelaide Metcalfe) • Thames Road from Calvert Drive to Glendon Drive (Southwest Middlesex)
The county is advising motorists to avoid all flooded roads as conditions are expected to deteriorate overnight.
Drivers should avoid all submerged roads as objects may be hidden under the water and the stability of the road could be weakened or potentially washed away.
On Thursday morning, Thames Valley and the London District Catholic schools boards were forced to close four schools in Glencoe because of the flooding issues. The following schools are closed for the day:
Glencoe District High School Eckoe Central Public School Mosa Central Public School St. Charles Catholic Elementary School
There are also numerous school bus cancellations in Southwest Middlesex. The full list can be found by visiting mybigyellowbus.ca.
https://twitter.com/SouthwestMiddl1/status/1440837389182640132