'Snow Day' Forecast: Snow Squalls Likely to Cancel School Buses on Friday in Parts of Central and Southwestern Ontario
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A multi-day snow squall event is set to begin Thursday evening, targeting regions east of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. Intense snowfall rates exceeding 5 cm per hour, coupled with near-zero visibility, are expected to make travel nearly impossible throughout Friday and well into the weekend.
Environment Canada has already issued strongly worded snow squall warnings for the Parry Sound, Muskoka, and Grey-Bruce regions. These warnings highlight the potential for road closures due to hazardous conditions.
Based on these forecasts, it’s highly likely that school boards in the affected areas will cancel school buses on Friday. In fact, given the severity of the conditions, some school closures may also occur.
Areas Most Likely to See Bus Cancellations
The following school boards are almost guaranteed to experience a “snow day” on Friday: TLDSB (Muskoka), NNDSB (Parry Sound), and BWDSB (Bruce Peninsula). This prediction aligns with the areas currently under snow squall warnings and the forecasted weather conditions during Friday morning’s decision-making window.
There is also a strong 75% chance of school bus cancellations for Southampton and Kincardine, part of BWDSB, as well as for East Parry Sound under NNDSB.
Outside of these core areas, the likelihood of school bus cancellations decreases significantly. We estimate a 50% chance for the following areas: TLDSB (Haliburton), Simcoe County (North Weather Zone), and the inland portions of BWDSB, which include Hanover, Owen Sound, and Meaford.
A similar probability applies to RDSB (Manitoulin Island), where snow squall warnings are in effect. However, the rest of RDSB, including Sudbury, is unlikely to see cancellations as the main squall activity is not expected to reach those areas.
For surrounding school boards across Central Ontario and parts of Southwestern Ontario, the chances of school bus cancellations are slim, ranging between 5% and 25%.
While most of the impacts will remain concentrated in the snowbelt regions, there’s always a small possibility of localized cancellations depending on shifting conditions.
Disclaimer: Instant Weather has zero authority when it comes to bus and school closures. It is completely up to the school boards, bus companies, local authorities, and parents to decide what is best for their children. This is our best guess based on our forecast.
