Those living in Ontario’s cottage country are still trying to dig themselves out of the historic snowfall over the weekend.
Gravenhurst, which is in the Muskoka region, was hit with 140 centimetres of snowfall and declared a state of emergency, which remains in place Monday morning.
All schools in Muskoka’s Trillium Lakelands District School Board are closed on Monday due to the extreme weather. Ontario Provincial Police is urging the public to stay home in the impacted area, and avoid travelling as Highway 11 remains closed.
Police say hundreds of vehicles and drivers became stranded on the highway over the weekend.
Police warn that additional vehicles on the roads put occupants at risk, and add extra challenges for snow removal, but all obstructions have since been cleared. The area is now awaiting snow removal.
Highway 11 remains closed between Highway 60 in Huntsville and West Street in Orillia as of 9 a.m. Monday.
The system that battered central Ontario has now moved southwest, with areas like Barrie, Collingwood, Port Elgin, Stratford, Woodstock, and London under snow squall warning, which is expected to last into Tuesday.
Environment Canada warns that some areas could see additional snowfalls between 20 to 50 cm, with near zero visibility at home possible and power outages in some areas due to the weather.
If it is necessary to travel in the areas impacted, police encourage motorists to use MTO’s Ontario 511 and Traveler Information Service for 24/7 and up-to-date access to road information on provincially maintained highways.
— With files from Global News Isaac Callan