Midwestern Ontarians are dealing with bitter cold conditions in addition to more lake effect snow.
Environment Canada has the region under two yellow-level weather alerts - one a snow squall warning, the other a cold warning.
Between 10 to 20 centimetres of snow could fall Friday under the squalls. Winds are forecast to gust up to 60 kilometres an hour causing blowing and drifting snow. The wind chill will make the temperature feel like near minus 30.
"Visibility will likely be suddenly reduced to near zero at times. Roads and walkways will likely be difficult to navigate due to accumulating snow," Environment Canada said. "Daytime temperatures will remain cold with the brisk winds, followed by falling temperatures [in the] evening."
All school buses are cancelled in Grey-Bruce and North Wellington, as are many in Huron-Perth. This marks the fifth straight day buses have not run in a lot of parts of midwestern Ontario. Additionally, the Upper Grand District School Board has closed all of its schools in North Wellington.
There are also numerous road closures, including Highway 21 from Goderich to Port Elgin and Highway 6 from Wiarton to Tobermory. The full list of closures and cancellations can be found by clicking here.
The extreme cold increases the risk of frostbite and other cold related ailments. Frostbite can develop on exposed skin within minutes. Signs of cold related conditions include shortness of breath, chest pain, muscle pain and weakness, numbness, and colour change in fingers and toes.
People are being asked to consider postponing non-essential travel and outdoor activities until conditions improve.
"If it’s too cold for you to stay outside, it’s too cold for your pet to stay outside," the national weather agency added. "Outdoor workers should take regularly scheduled breaks to warm up."
Snow squalls are expected to ease late in the evening or overnight. For Saturday, there will be some sunshine with only a 40 per cent chance of flurries and a daytime high of minus 11. However the wind chill will remain, making it feel like minus 28 in the morning and minus 18 in the afternoon.
