CANADA- A powerful storm that begun in the US has made its way over to Canada, leading to delays in flights and much more.
Environment Canada had winter storm warnings posted for portions of eastern Ontario and southern Quebec along the St. Lawrence River. Warnings that had been in place for areas stretching from Picton to Kingston and Brockville were lifted shortly after 9:30 a.m. ET.
U.S. winter storm death toll rises to 16
The storm was expected to dump 15 to 20 centimetres of snow in areas of eastern Ontario along the St. Lawrence River.
Montreal was bracing for a record-breaking amount of snow.
The areas of Renfrew, Pembroke, Smiths Falls, Ottawa, Prescott and Russell, and Gatineau were all under a snowfall warning, with Environment Canada predicting 15 cm Thursday.
CBC meteorologist Jay Scotland said the highest snowfall totals are expected south and east of the St. Lawrence, with Environment Canada saying there could be up to 50 centimetres in portions of southern Quebec, including Montreal. Montreal’s previous record snowfall for this date was 37.8 centimetres in 1969.
Warnings also covered all of New Brunswick and western Prince Edward Island. Parts of Nova Scotia were under a winter storm watch, and there was a rainfall warning for southern portions of the province.
The storm was expected to move to Newfoundland and Labrador with strong winds beginning Thursday night and peaking on Friday. Snowfall totals for the inland portions of the south and west coasts are expected to top 10 centimetres by Saturday morning, with 15 centimetres of accumulation by the end of Saturday for central and northeastern Newfoundland.
Travel troubles
Roads throughout the Toronto region, where about 10 centimetres were on the ground, as well as the Montreal area were mostly snow covered.
A dog braves the wintry weather in downtown Toronto on Thursday, after an onslaught of snow hit the city overnight and into the early morning. A dog braves the wintry weather in downtown Toronto on Thursday, after an onslaught of snow hit the city overnight and into the early morning. (John Rieti/CBC)
Ontario Provincial Police reported dozens of accidents on highways in the Greater Toronto Area.
CBC Montreal weather specialist Sabrina Maradola reported reduced visibility and slick conditions on the city’s streets with cars getting stuck in the snow or veering off roads.
“If you don’t have to go out, if you are on holiday, take advantage and do stay home today,” she said. “It’s not the best day to be on the roads.”
Montreal police recommended that people stay home to make way for emergency vehicles. Police spokesman Danny Richer said several roads were being blocked off and on in downtown Montreal to allow snowblowers to go through and clear off the snow. Road closures include University Street, Papineau Avenue, D’Iberville Street and Sherbrooke Street.
Montreal’s airport authority blamed dozens of flight cancellations on the bad weather. As of 3 p.m. ET, 134 arrivals and departures had been cancelled at Trudeau airport. Most were headed for Toronto or other destinations in the northeastern United States. Officials said strong winds in Montreal were the main cause of the cancellations.
A snowplow in downtown Toronto Thursday pushes aside wet overnight snow, the city’s first major snowfall of 2012. The storm moved east to Montreal, where it was set to break a record. A snowplow in downtown Toronto Thursday pushes aside wet overnight snow, the city’s first major snowfall of 2012. The storm moved east to Montreal, where it was set to break a record. (John Rieti/CBC)
At Canada’s busiest airport, Pearson in suburban Toronto, 53 arriving flights and 66 departures were cancelled by 12:42 p.m. Thursday, while many more flights were delayed. There were also cancellations reported at airports in Ottawa and Montreal.
The storm system originated in the U.S. earlier this week, in parts of the southern and central U.S, where it has been blamed on the deaths of at least 15 people.
Courtesy of CBC.
Comments are closed.