Driving Safely in Heavy Snow

There's regular winter snow, and then there's the kind of snowfall that makes you question every decision that led to you being behind the wheel. Ontario serves up both in generous portions. If you live anywhere between Barrie and Sudbury, you know exactly what I'm talking about. The sky goes white, the road disappears, and suddenly you're navigating by feel and faith and the faint impression of tire tracks from the car ahead of you.

I've driven through more heavy snow events than I'd like to admit, including a few where I should have stayed home. The lessons I've picked up, some the hard way, come down to a handful of techniques that make a real difference when the snow gets serious.

Understanding What You're Driving Into

Not all heavy snow is the same, and knowing what type you're dealing with changes how you handle it. Ontario throws three main varieties at drivers.

Steady accumulation. This is the classic all-day snowfall that drops 15 to 30 centimetres over several hours. The roads get covered, the plows can't keep up, and you're driving on packed snow. It's manageable if you slow down and stay alert, but the risk increases as the day goes on and the snow deepens.

Lake effect squalls. These are the ones that catch people off guard. Lake effect snow bands off Georgian Bay and Lake Huron are narrow but incredibly intense. You can be driving in sunshine and, within the space of a kilometre, find yourself in near-zero visibility with snow falling at five centimetres per hour. The Highway 400 corridor between Barrie and Parry Sound is infamous for this. Squalls hit the Innisfil and Oro-Medonte areas with startling ferocity, and the snow can accumulate on the road surface faster than you'd believe possible.

Blowing snow. Sometimes the snow has stopped falling but the wind hasn't stopped blowing. Open stretches of highway through agricultural land, like the sections of Highway 26 near Collingwood or Highway 89 toward Alliston, can have ground blizzard conditions with drifts forming across the road while the sky above is blue. These are deceptively dangerous because drivers don't expect poor conditions when the sun is out.

Before heading out, check Ontario 511 for current road conditions and closures. It's updated frequently and covers every provincial highway. It has saved me from driving into situations I couldn't see coming.

Driving Through Whiteout Conditions

A whiteout is when blowing or falling snow reduces visibility to the point where you can't see the road, the horizon, or sometimes even the hood of your car. It's disorienting in a way that's hard to describe until you've experienced it. The ground and sky merge into a featureless white void, and your sense of direction can fail completely.

The first rule of whiteouts is simple: slow down immediately but gradually. Don't brake hard. Reduce speed steadily until you can see enough road ahead to react to whatever might be on it. If visibility drops below about 50 metres, you should be going no faster than 40 km/h on the highway, and even that might be too fast.

Keep your low beams on. High beams reflect off the snow particles and actually make visibility worse, creating a wall of white light in front of you. Low beams illuminate the road surface without bouncing back into your eyes. If you have fog lights, use them. They're mounted lower and cut under the snow to light up the pavement.

Follow the right edge of the road using the lane markings or, if those are buried, the snow bank or rumble strips at the shoulder. Don't fixate on the taillights of the car ahead of you, as tempting as that is. If they drive off the road or stop suddenly, you'll follow them right into trouble. Use their lights as a general reference but keep your focus on reading the road itself.

If conditions deteriorate to the point where you genuinely cannot see the road at all, pull over. Get as far off the road as you safely can, turn on your hazard lights, and wait. A whiteout from a lake effect squall can pass in 15 minutes. That's a much better use of your time than ending up in a ditch or a multi-car pileup.

Handling Deep Snow on the Road

When you're driving through accumulating snow that hasn't been plowed, the car behaves differently than on bare pavement or even packed snow. The snow creates resistance, and your tires are constantly working to find grip beneath the surface layer.

Momentum is your friend here, within reason. Maintain a steady speed and avoid sudden changes in direction or throttle. If you need to make a turn, slow down well in advance and turn the wheel smoothly. Jerky inputs that would be fine on dry pavement can cause a loss of control on deep snow because the tires don't have solid contact with the road surface beneath.

If you feel the car start to push, meaning the front tires are sliding and the car isn't turning, ease off the gas and straighten the wheel slightly. Trying to force the turn by cranking the wheel harder just makes things worse. Let the tires find grip, then try again with a gentler input.

Getting stuck is a real possibility in deep snow. If your tires start spinning, stop immediately. Continuing to spin just digs you deeper. Rock the car gently between forward and reverse, and if that doesn't work, clear snow from around the drive wheels and place traction mats, sand, or even your floor mats under the tires. This is one of many situations where a winter emergency kit pays for itself.

Snowplow Etiquette and Safety

Snowplows are your best friends in a storm, but they require respect and patience. A few things Ontario drivers need to understand about sharing the road with plows.

Don't pass a working snowplow. I know it's tempting when you're stuck behind one doing 50 km/h on the highway. But the road ahead of the plow is worse than the road behind it. That's literally why the plow is there. The plowed lane behind the truck is the safest place to be. Stay back at least five car lengths and be patient.

Be aware that plows sometimes travel in echelon formation, staggered across multiple lanes to clear the entire highway in one pass. If you see one plow, there may be another beside or slightly behind it in the next lane. Don't try to squeeze between them. And watch for the spray. A plow throws a wall of snow off to the side and behind it. If you're following too closely, that spray coats your windshield and you're blind for several seconds. Keep your distance and your washer fluid reservoir full.

Knowing When to Stay Home

This is the hardest skill for most drivers, and I include myself. There's always a reason you need to be somewhere, and the temptation is to think you can handle it. Sometimes you can. Sometimes you shouldn't try.

Consider staying home if Environment Canada has issued a winter storm warning, if Ontario 511 shows road closures on your route, if visibility is near zero outside your window, or if the snow is falling so fast the plows can't keep up. A look outside that shows your car already buried tells you everything you need to know.

If your trip isn't essential, postpone it. Ontario gets a handful of truly dangerous snow events each winter. Staying off the road during those days dramatically reduces your risk. The meeting can be rescheduled. The errand can wait.

If you must drive, tell someone your route and expected arrival time. Keep your phone charged. Carry the supplies I mentioned in the emergency kit article. And drive with the understanding that arriving late is infinitely better than not arriving at all.

After the Storm

Once the snow stops, the roads aren't immediately safe. Plows take time to clear secondary roads, and the first pass often leaves packed snow or slush that can be extremely slippery. Intersections are especially treacherous because plowed snow banks block sightlines and stop-and-go traffic polishes the surface to an icy glaze.

Be aware that the common mistakes drivers make in winter are most frequent right after a storm, when people are impatient to get moving and overestimate how much the conditions have improved. Drive like the roads are still bad until you can confirm otherwise. And clear all the snow off your car, not just the windows. That sheet of snow on your roof will slide off when you brake, blinding you or the driver behind you.

Heavy snow is part of life in Ontario. You can't avoid it, but you can learn to handle it with confidence and good judgment. The drivers who get through winter safely aren't the ones with the most skill. They're the ones who know their limits and their vehicle's limits, and respect both. Understanding black ice is another critical piece of the winter safety puzzle.