Updated December 2, 2024 @ 10:18am
Update (1:30 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 1):
Jeff Lehman, District Chair for the District Municipality of Muskoka, told Barrie 360 Sunday morning that the significant weather event issued Saturday for the area could stay in place for some time.
"It'll be a decision really for our crews to lift [the significant weather event], but I imagine it is going to be several days before the cleanup is complete," said Lehman.
OPP said this morning that crews were still working to get the remaining stranded vehicles off Highway 11. At one point yesterday, there were hundreds of vehicles caught in the mess.
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As for what put the alert in place and caused the full closure of the highway between Gravenhurst and Wasahgo, Lehman says it was a mix of snow and collisions.
"I think a lot of people were assuming that the plows couldn't keep up with the snow, that was not the problem," Lehman explained.
"What occurred yesterday was multiple transport trucks crashed on Highway 11 South. The crash was severe enough, the vehicles were big enough, and the snow was bad enough that the wreckers could not get them moved, and that's what stranded everybody. The plows were even stuck in the backup from that accident."
Added to the significant weather event issued by the District of Muskoka, Town of Gravenhurst officials declared a state of emergency early this morning. The town was hit with around 140 centimetres of snowfall.
Lehman says the support from the Muskoka community and those living along that closed section of Highway 11 who offered food, drinks, and supplies to stranded drivers - some stuck for hours - was a nice sight to see.
"Community is defined by its response when bad things happen, it's not defined by the bad things that happen," said Lehman.
"Community is defined by how people respond to it and yesterday we saw it come through in spades. You had people in Kilworthy and up the highway, Gravenhurst, gas lane alley, there was a business that cooked hot meals ... and then the emergency services, I just can't say enough."
As of Sunday at noon, all snow squall warnings were lifted for Parry Sound - Muskoka, but Lehman says to stay put.
"We encourage people not to travel, stay home, hunker down as best you can while the crews are getting things cleaned up."
OPP posted on X just after 1 p.m. that there is no timeline for reopening of Highway 11.
- With files from the Canadian Press
Update (8 a.m., Sunday, Dec. 1):
Provincial police said Sunday around 6 a.m. that Highway 11 between Gravenhurst and Washago was still closed.
Over the past few days, a snow squall warning has been in place for Muskoka and Simcoe County and the closed northbound and southbound stretch of Highway 11 - from Highway 118 to Highway 169 - was blanketed, causing the closure and trapping of vehicles.
"Emergency services continue to work on removing vehicles," OPP posted on X Sunday.
Related: Stay updated with our Weather & Storm Watch page
Some hundreds of drivers were stuck during the ordeal, with many saying on social media they had been there for hours.
Last night, police said crews were towing abandoned vehicles to the Canadian Tire parking lot in Gravenhurst. The Muskoka Lakes Fire Department said they teamed up with Bracebridge and Gravenhurst crews and Muskoka paramedics to guide over 300 vehicles and 70 people.
All the while power outages have been occurring around Muskoka, including Gravenhurst, impacting a "significant number of residents," OPP stated.
The District Municipality of Muskoka issued a significant weather event on Saturday.
"Motorists are urged to drive with extreme caution as weather and road conditions can change rapidly," officials said in a post on Facebook.
"Avoid unnecessary travel until the Significant Weather Event is lifted."
Environment Canada had said early Saturday that additional snowfall accumulations could exceed 75 cm by Sunday afternoon in areas of Parry Sound - Muskoka.
Previous Story (Saturday, Nov. 30), Via OPP Central Region:
The Central Region of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is advising drivers about weather conditions creating unsafe roadways between Gravenhurst and Orillia.
Highway 11 Southbound is closed between Doe Lake Road and Washago due to weather and road conditions. The OPP strongly advises the public to avoid travelling on Highway 11 and in these areas until further notice.
OPP officers are currently on scene managing traffic and will provide updates as they become available. Updates will be shared on Central Region's social media platforms: X @OPP_CR, Facebook @OPPCentralRegion, and Instagram @OPP_CentralRegion.
Muskoka and Bracebridge fire departments are extracting stranded individuals from their vehicles and, due to the local power outage, taking them to Gravenhurst Town Hall, which has generators.
The OPP encourages motorists to visit the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) website, www.511on.ca for up-to-date access to road information on provincially maintained highways.
If you plan to drive, please slow down, stay alert and stay in control. These simple steps will go a long way in reducing the number of winter weather-related collisions on our roads.