Many Londoners had to to do a lot of shoveling.
A winter storm that moved into southwestern Ontario late Sunday night continued to dump a significant amount of snow throughout the day on Monday.
Environment Canada upgraded a winter weather travel advisory for London and eastern Middlesex to a snowfall warning. Oxford and Elgin counties were also under a snowfall warning, while Norfolk County had a winter storm warning in effect. By late Monday afternoon, all weather alerts were called off.
The weather agency predicted up to 15 cm could fall in the London region by Monday night. For areas to the east of the city, snowfall totals were expected to be closer to 20 to 25 cm. Total amounts reported to the Ontario Storm Prediction Centre as of 2 p.m. for London came in at 18 cm, while areas such as Simcoe, in Norfolk County reported 31 cm.
The snow prompted bus cancellations for Oxford, Elgin and the red zone. All schools remained open.
Blowing snow is expected to be an issue in the afternoon and evening as winds gust up to 60 km/h. The strong winds coupled with the rapidly accumulating snow could make travel difficult on the roads, the national weather agency warned.
"Visibility may be suddenly reduced at times in heavy snow. Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become difficult to navigate due to accumulating snow. Take frequent breaks and avoid strain when clearing snow," Environment Canada said.
The City of London tweeted that all road and sidewalk plows have been deployed and salt trucks are out on main routes and bus stops.
Police urged people to stay home if they could. Those who have to head out are reminded to clear all snow from vehicle windows, turn on vehicle lights, and slow down on the roads.