A winter storm of rare proportions blanketed much of southern Ontario with heavy snow Monday, causing widespread school closures and travel disruptions, leaving some stuck on a major highway for hours on end.

Environment Canada issued snowfall, winter storm or blizzard warnings for a stretch of the province spanning from the Cornwall area to the east, the Algonquin region to the west, and the Niagara and London regions to the south.

As much as 50 centimetres of snow was expected in some areas, and the weather agency warned residents to be cautious given the risk of reduced visibility on the road.

Schools closed as winter storm hits Hamilton, Niagara and Halton. But while Hamilton’s public school board has cancelled all classes, the Catholic board is going ahead with remote learning for elementary students.

The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) said, in a press release, that “all remote, eLearning, child care, and in-person learning programming is cancelled due to inclement weather and as a result of cancelled transportation. All HWDSB schools, admin buildings and child care centres are closed. Transportation is not running”.