Snowstorm leaves tens of thousands in the dark across southern Quebec

What a way to start the week.

The first snowstorm of December knocked out power for thousands, closed schools and held up commutes across southern Quebec on Monday morning.

Hydro-Québec reported more than 110,000 customers were without electricity at the height of the outages as heavy snow blanketed wires, branches and trees. The hardest-hit regions were Montreal, the Montérégie and the Eastern Townships.

Environment Canada issued snowfall warnings for parts of southern Quebec. As of 9 a.m., Montreal had already seen 29 centimetres of snow while five centimetres had fallen on Quebec City.

“Rapidly accumulating snow will make travel difficult. There may be a significant impact on rush hour traffic in urban areas,” the public weather agency said. “Heavy snowfall accumulation may cause tree branches to break.”

The tricky weather conditions led to tough commutes on the road and in the sky. Quebec provincial police urged drivers to clean off their cars, keep a safe distance and slow down behind the wheel.

“Winter is just starting,” the police force said on social media.

Montreal’s transit authority said traffic was slow for buses. Many flights were also either delayed or cancelled at Montreal and Quebec City airports.

Meanwhile, the Eastern Townships School Board closed schools. The Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board, which oversees English-language schools north of Montreal, shut Rawdon Elementary, Joliette Elementary and Joliette High School for the day.

In Montreal, the majority of schools not affected by the ongoing public sector strike remained open.