A winter snowstorm descended on Ontario and Quebec on Sunday bringing heavy snowfall and blowing winds to the neighbouring provinces for a second time in just four days.
In Quebec, snow began falling Saturday evening and intensified early Sunday. Montreal and Quebec City were expected to receive 30 to 50 centimetres of snow while areas to the east were forecast to see as much as 70 cm.
Environment Canada issued a winter storm warning across southern Ontario and Quebec Saturday.
"The situation has tempered down in southern Ontario, so at least there is some relief for those regions," said Jean-Philippe Bégin, warning preparedness meteorologist for Environment and Climate Change Canada. "But about 25 centimetres or 25 to 30 centimeters fell in the Greater Toronto Area."
Similar conditions were felt in southeastern Ontario, with more than 30 cm of snow blanketing the Ottawa area.
Later Sunday, Environment Canada issued a blizzard warning for south-central part of Quebec along the St. Lawrence River between Montreal and Quebec City, due to low visibility.
Bégin said late Sunday it was hard to keep track of how much had already fallen, but between 30 to 50 cm were expected in the St. Lawrence River Valley.
"It's a really special storm, we don't see those types of storms really often and it's a dangerous storm," Bégin said. "Storms like that have caused in the past major or extended road closures."
Sunday's storm was the second wintry strike to blow through the provinces since Thursday, which brought between 20 and 40 cm of snow or more, depending on the region.
Transport Quebec urged caution on the roads and to avoid non-essential travel, and said the weather was likely to disrupt traffic into Monday.
English school boards and French-language school service centres in the Greater Montreal area announced that classes would be cancelled at primary and high schools on Monday due to snow.
In Ontario, the province is among those in the country marking Family Day on Monday.
A spokesman for the City of Montreal urged drivers to stay off the roads and asked people to stay home on Monday as well, as roads would be difficult during the morning rush hour.
"If your presence is not required at the office, if you can telework, it's going to be easier because when we get up (Monday) morning, there will still be a lot of work to do, it will take us at least the day to put everything back in order," Philippe Sabourin said.
"It will not be easy to even get around, so we stay home."
The city had begun an operation Friday to free up about 1,000 kilometres worth of street ahead of Sunday's storm and crews have been focused on clearing the road network. Sabourin warned picking up all the snow will take some time.
On Sunday, conditions rapidly deteriorated making travel in some areas hazardous, with numerous accidents in Ontario and Quebec. In Quebec, provincial police reported a major collision on Highway 20 near Drummondville, about 90 kilometres northeast of Montreal. Twenty vehicles were involved including transport trucks, but no injuries were reported.
Flights were cancelled or delayed at Toronto Pearson International Airport and Montreal-Trudeau International Airport, with officials warning travellers to check their flight status before heading to the airport.
Strong winds and snow were expected to move eastward into parts of the Maritime provinces, with strong winds expected to last until Monday in some areas.
Central and northern New Brunswick was expected to get more than 35 cm of snow, and a freezing rain warning was in effect in Nova Scotia.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 16, 2025.
Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press
