On February 7, 2026, the Lambton detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (Lambton OPP) closed a stretch of Highway 402 amid a severe blizzard that left large numbers of vehicles stranded across eastern Lambton County, including areas of Plympton‑Wyoming. The closure affected Highway 402 in both directions between Sarnia and Highway 401 (London), as blowing snow and whiteout conditions reduced visibility to near zero.
Cst. Tyler Campbell of the Lambton OPP said officers were responding to a high volume of calls for service and that warming shelters had been set up to assist stranded motorists. “We are urging the motoring public to stay off the roadways at this time to allow for the roads department and emergency services to get things cleaned up,” Campbell said. Warming shelters were reported at the Petrolia Arena, the East Lambton / Watford arena (East Lambton Community Complex), the Camlachie Community Centre and the Wyoming Fairgrounds.
Environment Canada and local authorities warned that heavy lake‑effect snow and gusty northwest winds produced blizzard and whiteout conditions across parts of Lambton County, making it unsafe for routine snow‑clearing and some emergency operations. Local reporting and the incident briefings indicate the OPP and other emergency responders shifted their focus to rescuing stranded motorists and supporting warming centres; some reports and the incident brief note cooperation with partner agencies and volunteer groups to reach people, although operational details (for example, specific use of tracked vehicles or organized snowmobile-club deployments) should be attributed to the OPP or local emergency coordinators if reported directly.
Residents are being urged to shelter in place and avoid all non‑essential travel until conditions improve so road crews and emergency responders can clear and make roads safe. Local media and emergency officials reported that hundreds of vehicles were stranded (one local outlet cited a figure of over 500 vehicles), and that the response was ongoing as crews worked to reach people and reopen the highway.
