OPP deal with collisions across eastern Ontario as wintry weather makes roads icy

A jackknifed tractor trailer on Highway 401 in eastern Ontario. Dec. 9, 2024. (OPP/X)

Ontario Provincial Police have reported several collisions around eastern Ontario Monday as a wintry storm brings snow, freezing rain and freezing drizzle to the area.

Westbound lanes of Highway 401 were closed near Cornwall, Ont. at around 7:30 p.m. Monday following a collision. Police said westbound lanes are closed between exit 804 at County Road 27 and exit 796 at Boundary Road.

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It's not yet known how many vehicles are involved or whether anyone has been hurt.

A previous crash on Highway 401 near Ingleside closed westbound lanes just before 5 p.m., but OPP said the scene had been cleared as of 7:30 p.m. Earlier, a tractor trailer jackknifed on Highway 401 just east of Highway 416, closing eastbound lanes briefly. The vehicle was removed by 4:25 p.m. A four-vehicle collision on the 401 westbound in the Kingston area at around 2 p.m. caused some delays in the afternoon. No injuries were reported in that crash.

"Adjust your driving to match the conditions AND those conditions are poor in many part of eastern Ontario," OPP said on social media. "Blowing snow and freezing rain have resulted in treacherous driving conditions. If you must be on the roads, please slow down, leave extra following distance and don't make any sudden maneuvers. If you are in a collision, breakdown or become stranded... STAY IN YOUR VEHICLE. Being on foot on the side of a highway or road is dangerous."

A freezing drizzle advisory is in effect across a large swath of Ontario Monday evening. Environment Canada says surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become icy and slippery.

"Freezing drizzle can produce thin, hard-to-detect layers of ice," the advisory says.

"Freezing drizzle might continue into Tuesday morning before temperatures rise above the freezing mark."