Freezing rain, blizzard conditions complicate travel across Eastern Canada

Freezing rain down, blowing snowfall, water ice pellets and warm winds ar prompting weather alerts for much of Eastern Canada.

As of Monday morning, orange alerts — the second-highest level — are in place for Ontario, Quebec and some parts of Nova Scotia.

The Ottawa and Montreal areas could see up to 15 millimetres of ice accretion from freezing rain, starting Monday and ending Tuesday evening. Southwesterly winds of up to 70 km/h are also expected, with winds of up to 90 km/h in Montreal and the western parts of the island.

Thousands are without power in Ontario and Quebec.

In Toronto, London and the Lake Huron and Georgian Bay regions, Environment and Climate Change Canada is warning of blizzard conditions with "dangerous snow squalls."

"An initial brief, intense snow squall is expected this morning along a cold front," the agency said, noting the snow, followed by a temperature drop could lead to icy surfaces and hazardous travel conditions. Northwesterly winds of 70 to 90 km/h will be in the mix, the warning said.

Click on this interactive map on the red, orange and yellow areas to get more information on the weather alerts across Canada:

A number of flights have been cancelled or delayed in Montreal, Toronto and London, Ont. Montreal's Trudeau airport told Radio-Canada that roughly 12 per cent of flights have been affected, while more than 60 flights were delayed at Toronto's Pearson airport and about 10 were cancelled.

The city of Montreal was coated in thick ice Monday morning, causing slippery streets and sidewalks.

A Montreal-area ambulance service reported receiving more than 100 calls to 911 per hour. Urgences-santé said most of the calls involved people who had fallen and hurt themselves.

Spokesperson Valérie Guertin urged people to stay home if possible, and if they have to go outside, she advised them to wear crampons and adapt their driving to the weather.

"Ambulance requests [are] mostly for falls on the ice, traumatic injuries or people with injuries following a fall," she said in a phone interview. Ambulance crews have been able so far to handle the level of calls, but they are asking people who witness a fall to call 911 only if they're sure the person has been hurt, she added.

Meteorologist Eric Tomlinson said the precipitation had largely shifted to regular rain by late morning in Montreal, but that freezing rain continued to fall north of the city. He warned that the temperature is expected to drop sharply during the night, which could once again turn surfaces slippery.

The weather caused headaches for commuters hoping to use the Montreal-area light-rail network, or REM, which reported service slowdowns and shutdowns throughout Monday morning. Those happened despite crews running trains all night long to avoid ice accumulation in the hopes of ensuring normal service.

Northern Ontario and Quebec are also expected to see blizzard conditions, with heavy snow and strong winds in areas such as Sault Ste. Marie and Timmins in Ontario, and Val d'Or in Quebec. The north and south shores of the eastern St. Lawrence in Quebec could see between 40 and 60 centimetres of snow.

Ryan Pilon, owner of Timmins Snow Removal, said he started plowing roads in Timmins, Ont., at 2 a.m. Monday and doesn't except the work to let out until late Tuesday.

"It's pretty much whiteout conditions, couple feet of snow on the highways, very hard to get around, definitely not safe," Pilon said as snow pelted his face. "Most of the city's shut down and it's definitely very cold and you can't see anything."

'Pretty much whiteout conditions,' says snow removal operator in Timmins, Ont.

A handful of cars that had ventured out were doing so with their hazard lights on, Pilon said.

"I grew up here my whole life and I've maybe seen a storm once or twice like this. This is pretty bad," he said.

The weather agency is calling for extreme winds — up to 140 km/h — in northern Nova Scotia, particularly the northeastern tip of the province. Most of the Maritimes are under yellow warnings from Environment and Climate Change Canada for freezing rain that could in some places lead to flooding, the agency said.

Winter storm pounds Eastern Canada with snow, freezing rain

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