STORM WATCH: Hamilton bracing for heavy snow Wednesday

Hamilton and southern Ontario are bracing for a winter storm Wednesday.

Environment Canada issued a snowfall warning on Tuesday afternoon, calling for 15 to 20 centimetres of snow beginning late Wednesday morning and continuing into Thursday.

Schools are open in Hamilton and Halton, but delays are expected for the afternoon commute. Find student transportation updates at http://hamiltonschoolbus.ca and https://www.haltonbus.ca/.

Niagara schools are also open but transportation is cancelled for the District School Board of Niagara and Niagara Catholic District School Board.

The Hamilton Conservation Authority said in a tweet Wednesday morning that it has closed Tew Falls, in the Spencer Gorge Conservation Area, because of the weather.

The Environment Canada alert warns of rapidly accumulating snow, reduced visibility and the possibility of power outages.

A Texas low will bring heavy snow to the area beginning late this morning. Heavy snow will end early Thursday morning," says the weather service.

The City of Hamilton tweeted just before 10 a.m. that crews are focused on clearing escarpment accesses and Priority 1 and 2 roads and cycling lanes.

The location of city snowplows can be tracked at hamilton.plowtracker.com.

And don't put away those shovels - there's more snow in the forecast for the weekend.

More to come.

Jennifer Moore is an editorial assistant at The Spectator. jmoore@thespec.com