London's car and hardware services hit with winter rush ahead of possible snowfall

Winter is coming to London.and residents might not know what hit them until they're outside this weekend.

That's because the first snowflakes are expected to touch the Forest City as soon as today.

The city's businesses, from mechanics to home hardware stores, say they're busier than ever keeping up with an early rush for their winter services.

"This is the time to be putting on your snow tires," said Peter Kimbell, a warning preparedness metrologist at Environment Canada. This weekend's chance of flurries isn't a major one, but it is a wake up call for residents and drivers to be ready, he added.

"Often the first the snow fall is sometimes the most dangerous because people have forgotten how to drive in the wintertime," he said.

Snow has already hit parts of Western Canada. Last week, Environment Canada issued snowfall warnings for mainland British Columbia, with up to 25 cm blanketing major roads. Calgary also had its first cold snap this week, with up to 20 cm of snow. In Central Ontario, London could be getting up to 15 centimetres this weekend.

"Once that snow starts to fly, it'll go crazy," said Craig Breault, assistant manager at Kal Tire in downtown London. The tire shop is seeing unusually slower activity from customers enjoying the warmer weather in early November, he said.

The team is also expecting the six phone lines to light up for appointments after the first sign of snow.

"We may have to put people off a day or two," Breault said. He recommended drivers bring their cars in a week before a major snowfall hits so they're not caught trying to get in during an influx of last-minute appointments.

"If too many people do that, we won't be able to help someone," he said.

"There's always a mad rush the first time we get snow, and you'll see customers coming in for shovels and salt and all the typical items," said Mac Copp, the fifth generation manager of Copp's Buildall, a family owned hardware and construction store that's been operating in London for 145 years.