Snow and rain makes for messy conditions in Waterloo-Wellington

Waterloo Region, Wellington County, and several other southern Ontario communities were hit hard with snow and wet conditions Tuesday.

Environment Canada said these areas were expected to get between 5 and 10 cm of snow throughout the day.

According to the University of Waterloo's Weather Station, snowfall totals were as follows:

• 1 cm had fallen by 8 a.m.
• 3 cm had fallen by 10 a.m.
• 5 cm had fallen by 12 p.m.
• 7 cm had fallen by 3 p.m.
• 8 cm had fallen by 6 p.m.

Photo by Ronald F. Dowsett.

Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge declared snow events at 3 p.m. Drivers were asked not to park on city streets starting at 11:59 p.m. Any vehicles left on the road could be ticketed or towed. Snow events remains in effect for 24 hours, or until cancelled by the city.

A snow plow on Jan. 23, 2023.

Driving on the winter roads

Waterloo regional police said, between 5 a.m. and 4 p.m., officers responded to about 50 collisions across the region.

Ontario Provincial Police covering West Region, meanwhile, investigated just under 200 crashes as of 6 a.m.

School bus service, from Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region, also reported 105 bus delays.

A messy day on the road. (Jan. 23, 2023)

Up and down weather in January

The coordinator at the University of Waterloo’s Weather Station called January up and down month.

“A warm start to January, then bitterly cold last week, a warm-up coming in a few days, followed by a bit more seasonal temperatures next week,” Frank Seglenieks explained.

The long range forecast shows even warmer temperatures by the end of the month.

“It seems that the weather just can't make up its mind,” Seglenieks said.

Winterloo wants snow to stay

The latest blast of snow might not last as rain is in the forecast Tuesday evening.

Events, like Winterloo in Uptown Waterloo, might be cancelled if the snow doesn’t stick around.

“As it's a celebration of winter, we do need some snow for the activities,” said Scott McGovern, festival and events specialist with the City of Waterloo.

A Winterloo sign in Uptown Waterloo on Jan. 23, 2023. (Dan Lauckner/CTV Kitchener)

The event includes activities like snow sculptures and dog sled rides on Saturday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Organizers said they should know by Friday, if the event is still on.

Winterloo is a long-standing tradition in the region, dating back almost two decades.