WAWA – After receiving very little snow this winter, the massive amount of snowfall over the last few days may have left Wawa residents feeling submerged.
According to Environment Canada, arctic air is moving down from the north and mixing with the warmer waters of Lake Superior, causing a lake effect in the area.
“These bands of snow squalls are driven by what the low-level winds are doing earlier in this event over the last few days," said Environment Canada’s Jeff Coulson in an interview with CFNO.
"They've been more from the southwest and that's brought a lot of snowfall into the Wawa area.”
Currently, Wawa has nearly three feet of snow in 24 hours with more on the way.
The amount of snow squalls has caused Highway 17 - between Wawa and Batchawana Bay - to be hazardous due to reduced visibility, prompting the Ontario Ministry of Transportation to close the highway until conditions improve.
Environment Canada said residents living in the area can expect 20 to 40 centimetres of snowfall continuing to Thursday morning when snow squalls should taper off into light flurries.
From the files of Al Creswell, CFNO