All school bus routes cancelled and rural schools closed in Thunder Bay, Ont., following snowstorm

Rural schools are closed Thursday in Thunder Bay, Ont., and all school bus routes are cancelled for the day as much of the northwest begins to dig out this morning following a massive snowstorm.

This is the second day in a row the Lakehead District School Board has closed its rural schools due to weather.

Environment Canada issued multiple weather alerts for the northwest beginning Tuesday, forecasting 20 to 30 centimetres of snow, and possibly more over higher terrain west of Thunder Bay.

The winter storm warning in Thunder Bay remains in effect as of Thursday morning.

School closures

• The Lakehead District School Board has closed rural schools today, including Crestview, Five Mile, Gorham Ware, McKenzie, Nor'wester View, Kakabeka, Valley Central and Whitefish Valley schools.
• The Wenjack Education Institute is closing its Oshki-Wenjack campus in Thunder Bay until noon Thursday. All morning classes will be held online until further notice. 
• The Superior-Greenstone District School Board has closed several schools for the day, including George O'Neill Public School, Dorion Public School, Beardmore Public School, A. Parker Public School, Geraldton Composite High School, Nipigon-Red Rock District High School, and Lake Superior-High School.

Public board city schools are open in Thunder Bay, along with Thunder Bay Catholic Board, French Catholic, and French public schools.

School bus route cancellations

• Student Transportation Services of Thunder Bay has cancelled all school bus routes Thursday. More information can be found here.
• Over 30 Superior-Greenstone District school bus routes are cancelled due to weather and road closures. More information can be found here.

• The Rainy River District Transportation Services Consortium has cancelled several school bus routes for the morning only. More information can be found here.

• Northwestern Ontario Student Services Consortium has cancelled all Dryden, Vermilion Bay, Sioux Lookout, Ignace, and Upsala school bus routes for the day. 

Thunder Bay transit

• Thunder Bay Transit said due to challenging road conditions, some routes or sections of routes are cancelled. People are encouraged to check the city's Transit app or online for updates.

Highway closures 

• Sections of Highway 17 and Highway 11 were closed Wednesday night due to conditions. Some closures remain in effect Thursday morning, including the section of Highway 17 from Nipigon to Marathon, and Highway 11 from Nipigon to Geraldton. 
• Highway 17 is also closed at Pass Lake, outside of Thunder Bay.
• A number of closures remain in effect further east. More information can be found through Ontario's Ministry of Transportation. 

Tune in for frequent updates between 6 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. on Superior Morning. you can listen to it live here. If there's information missing from this story, or you have a photo or video you'd like to share about what's happening in your neighbourhood, send us an email to thunderbay@cbc.ca.