Special Weather Statement Advises Peterborough of Heavy Snowfall

The Weather Network advises that snow is expected to begin in the Peterborough area Thursday afternoon and become heavy at times throughout Thursday evening.

File Photo.

Total snowfall amounts of 10 to 15 centimetres are expected by Friday morning, with amounts exceeding 15 centimetres over the higher terrain north of Lake Ontario. Lesser snowfall amounts are forecast near the shoreline of Lake Ontario where snow may transition to rain.

Hazardous travel conditions due to heavy snow and blowing snow are also being reported, including for the evening commute. The Weather Network recommends ‘considering postponing non-essential travel until conditions improve’ and advises that visibility may be reduced due to the inclement weather.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Special Weather Statement To Bring Up To 20cm Of Snow This Week

Environment Canada has issued a Special Weather Statement for Ontario, stating that Wednesday and Thursday could bring between 10 - 20cm of snow.

Snow is estimated to begin at 12 a.m. on Wednesday and continue until early Friday morning.

Tuesday night is expected to see about 1cm of snow, Wednesday night will bring about 5cm and Thursday 5-10cm.

Tuesday temperatures will range from feeling like -4 to -18. It will warm up Wednesday, feeling like -1 and drop again on Thursday with a temperature of -11.

The last special weather statement in the area was on Jan. 17 and brought with it close to 50cm of snow in some areas around Peterborough County.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

How The STSCO Makes The Decision On School Bus Cancellations

Curious what goes into the decision making for Student Transportation Services of Ontario (STSCO) in Peterborough on how they decide on school bus cancellations? In his own words, here is what Joel Sloggett—Chief Administrative Officer with STSCO—says are the key factors that goes into their thinking...

1. When it comes to bus and transportation service cancellation decision making, our priority consideration is the safety of students. The journey to school for many students involves walking to a bus stop, waiting for the bus, boarding the bus and travelling through its route on the way to school, with the opposite occurring for the afternoon ride home. Looking at this journey, safety considerations include the students walking to stops, standing along roadsides and then travelling on the bus. The bottom line is that we must collectively focus on children’s safety and err on the side of caution as necessary.

2. In terms of the steps in the decision making process, STSCO and its bus companies work together to monitor forecasts and weather alerts on a daily basis throughout the school year. When a winter weather forecast calls for inclement weather—such as significant freezing rain or significant snow and poor visibility—we are on heightened alert.
 
3. Bus companies and myself, or my designate, coordinate beginning at about 5:30 a.m. on the day of inclement weather. Companies have drivers and staff who are dispersed across our three county jurisdiction (Peterborough, Northumberland and Clarington) and who assist in weather monitoring. We also contact municipal roads officials when necessary to discuss the situation.
 
4. If it is determined that weather warrants consideration of busing cancellation for one or more of the three county areas, our goal is to post the same on our website and on social media [Twitter and Facebook] by 6:00 a.m. We also communicate such decisions to radio and television outlets so they can help get the word out.

5. STSCO’s website has a function on the main page where families can sign up for automatic alerts regarding bus cancellations and delays. This is particularly useful on days when a small number of bus routes are cancelled (as opposed to the regional cancellation) or on days when some routes are delayed for any reason—weather related or not. (Note: Sometimes individual routes have to be cancelled due to the particular area or roads travelled and an example might be routing in the far northern part of our jurisdiction where weather might be a concern while it is not in the rest of the County or area.)
 
6. Families can also access delay and cancellation information on our website directly by pressing on the Delay and Cancellation Exception button on the right side of the main page.
 
7. It should be emphasized again that all involved in inclement weather decision making are committed to ensuring safe transport of students while also understanding that any cancellation decisions have an impact on families as arrangements need to be made to ensure young children are taken care of during the cancelled transportation day. Over the years, bus companies and ourselves have done the best job possible in making the right decisions and meeting expectations for getting students to school safely.

—Joel Sloggett, STSCO

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat (ptbo_canada). Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here. Watch our PTBOCanada Love video here.