Northerners wish the weather was an April Fool's Day joke

Many in the northeast looked outside their windows this morning to find that the weather was certainly no April Fool's Day joke.

Many in the northeast looked outside their windows this morning to find that the weather was certainly no April Fool's Day joke.

Upwards of 30cm fell in some parts of our CTV Northern Ontario broadcast region – Greater Sudbury at one point saw peak snowfall rates of 8 centimetres an hour.

In just a few short hours, many northerners were forced to deal with what seems to have been one of the biggest storms of the season.

Heavy snow combined with high winds reduced visibility and created dangerous travel conditions.

In Sault Ste. Marie, the storm started early and gradually made its way across the Highway 17 corridor – closing parts of the Trans-Canada and Highway 11.

The winter weather was so blustery – the snow so heavy – transit for a time was kept off the roads in the Sault.

"All crews, all available plows, sanders and graders are out on the road,” said Susan Hamilton-Beach, Sault Ste. Marie’s director of Public Works.