Storm Tracker

A winter weather travel advisory has been issued by Environment Canada for the region as a storm system is expected to hit the region on Friday.

The weather agency says, "Snow is forecast to begin early Friday morning near the Manitoba border. It will spread quickly eastward through the day to arrive north of Lake Superior by late in the afternoon. It is expected to taper to flurries from west to east Friday night. Accumulating snow on untreated roadways will impact travel and motorists are advised to exercise caution."

Winter in Kenora this year has been significantly colder while bringing much more snow than the winter before.

Environment Canada Meteorologist, Steven Flisfeder was able to shed some light on what has changed in the terms of weather this winter.

“So far this year there have been quite a few systems making their way through the area. A lot of Alberta Clippers, which typically don’t give all that much snow, but this year have been a little bit more on the high end of their potential,” Flisfeder said.

The Kenora area played witness to a record-breaking snowfall on Tuesday (January 18, 2022) that resulted in highway closures, high wind gusts, and poor driving conditions for those on the roads.

Environment Canada Meteorologist, Steven Flisfeder was able to confirm the results of the storm.

“From the Kenora Airport the final tally was 16 cm for yesterday,” Flisfeder said.

Tuesday’s snowstorm was enough to break a 78-year-old snowfall record for Kenora on January 18.

The Ministry of Transportation has reopened Highway 17 in both directions.

The MTO and the OPP closed the Highway between the Manitoba border and Ignace this afternoon due to poor winter driving conditions.

The City of Kenora has declared a Significant Weather Event due to the recent snowfall that has hit the city.

The city says declaring a Significant Weather Event related to snow accumulation is a way to advise residents, pedestrians, and motorists to expect winter maintenance service delays due to the current winter storm event.

The city is deploying resources to address road conditions as a result of the storm. Please be cautious on roads, sidewalks during the Significant Weather Event as road conditions can vary drastically during an event.

The Northwestern Ontario Student Services Consortium has made the decision to cancel all bus routes this morning. (Tuesday, January 18) 

One exception is Pickle Lake bus PL81, which will run. 

Due to the winter storm making its way to the area road conditions will only deteriorate throughout the morning making for hazardous driving conditions. 

This includes Kenora, Sioux Narrows, Red Lake, Ear Falls, Vermilion Bay, Dryden, Sioux Lookout, Ignace, and Upsala.

Schools remain open. 

The Ministry of Transportation has shut down Highway 17 between Kenora and Ignace due to the poor winter driving conditions.

All lanes are closed between the Highway 17 A East Junction near Kenora and Lakeshore Drive South in Ignace. There’s no timeline on when the highway is expected to reopen.

The region is expected to get hit with 10 to 15 cm of snow Tuesday into Tuesday evening bringing with it heavy winds gusts up to 50 km/h causing limited visibility. 

— Update —

Highway 17 has been opened.

— Original Story —

Highway 17 between Kenora and Dryden has been closed by the Ministry of Transportation due to poor winter driving conditions. 

The closure begins at the Highway 17A and Highway 17 junction. 

The region is expected to get hit with 10 to 15 cm of snow Tuesday into Tuesday evening bringing with it heavy winds gusts up to 50 km/h causing limited visibility. 

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) has not provided a timeline on when the highway will reopen. 

Environment Canada has issued a winter weather travel advisory for the areas of Kenora, Whitedog, Grassy Narrows, Sioux Narrows - Nestor Falls, Morsen, Dryden, Vermilion Bay, Ignace. and English River. 

A low-pressure system tracking south of the region will bring significant snowfall to northwestern Ontario beginning early Tuesday morning. Snow and local blowing snow is expected to impact travel conditions through Tuesday.

The travel advisory is in effect starting Tuesday into Tuesday evening and will bring 10 to 15 cm of snow. 

Northwestern Ontario should be prepared to be hit by another major winter storm today, with about 10 centimetres of snow possible.

Environment Canada says they’re also calling for winds of up to 40 kilometres per hour and a low of -27 overnight with a low of -34 after the windchill, with the risk of frostbite.