Snow events declared in Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge

Using a snow blower Mel Fuglsang clears snow from the driveway of his rural home near Welton, Iowa on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015. (The Quad City Times, Kevin E. Schmidt / AP Photo)

Winter is making its return to southwestern Ontario with heavy snow and squall watches for parts of Waterloo Region, Stratford, Wellington County and Brant County.

According to Environment Canada, areas between Waterloo Region, Woodstock, Tillsonburg, London and Grand Bend could get up to 15 centimetres of snow on Friday.

There is also a snow squall warning further west and north, between Listowel, Drayton, Point Clark, Tobermory, Bracebridge, Kawartha Lakes, Belleville, Peterborough and Richmond Hill. The agency said those areas could get some heavy snowfall of up to 40 centimetres by Friday evening, along with a northwest wind reaching up to 60 km/h.

Blowing snow could also reduce visibility, so drivers are advised to take extra precautions on the road.

Parking bans

Snow events were declared on Thursday, ahead of Friday’s snowfall.

Cambridge was first to issue the parking ban, putting out its release around 6 a.m.

Residents in Waterloo and Kitchener were also asked to move all vehicles by noon so plows could clear the roads.

Any vehicles that remain on city streets could be ticketed and/or towed at the owner’s expense.

All parking bans will remain in effect for 24 hours.