A 30-year-old man was killed early Friday, as the first taste of winter hit the London region, when a pickup truck rolled over in a ditch following the overnight snowstorm.

Middlesex OPP said the collision occurred about 6 a.m. on Eight Mile Road between Hyde Park and Denfield roads, northwest of London.

The pickup truck, travelling west on Eight Mile, left the roadway and struck the south ditch, causing it to roll over.

Police said the male driver, Jason Derks of Middlesex Centre, died in the collision and no other vehicles were involved.

Investigators hadn’t confirmed whether weather was a factor in the collision, said Middlesex OPP Con. Max Gomez.

The morning commute was a mess along highways 401 and 402 in the London, OPP Sgt. Dave Rektor said.

But other than the death in Middlesex, there were no other major collisions or injuries as the season’s first snowfall — much worse in other parts of Southwestern Ontario — swept the region.

“Highway(s) 401 and 402 (are) littered with vehicles in the ditch – people driving way too fast,” Rektor said in his online traffic report.

By 8 a.m. the snow had cleared in the London area and all highways were open despite whiteouts in the Strathroy area.

Huron, Lambton and Middlesex counties were hit with rain followed by classic lake-effect streamers overnight as the temperature plunged and northwesterly winds picked up moisture from relatively warm Lake Huron.

In London, plows and salt trucks hit the main roads and transit routes starting the previous night at 7 p.m. Secondary streets were being monitored, but the first snowfall fell below the threshold for a full cleanup, said John Parsons, the city’s transportation manager.

The snowfall was noticeably heavier in western neighbourhoods of the city, he noted.

The snow will linger at least a bit, with Environment Canada forecasting a high barely above freezing on Saturday.

hdaniszewski@postmedia.com

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