A winter storm continues to strengthen in parts of Ontario and Quebec on Sunday morning as heavy snowfall is expected to blanket the region further.
Environment Canada issued a winter storm warning across southern Ontario and Quebec Saturday, forecasting 15-25 centimetres of additional snow in Toronto, with similar conditions expected in parts of southwestern Ontario.
The same conditions are expected in southeastern Ontario, with as much as an added 20 to 30 centimetres of snow expected to come down in the Ottawa area.
In Quebec, snow began falling Saturday evening and began to intensify early Sunday. Montreal and Quebec City were expected to receive 25 to 40 cm of snow on Sunday while areas east of those cities were looking at 30 to 50 cm of snow.
The agency said conditions were expected to rapidly deteriorate, adding that accumulating snow and blowing snow could make travel in some areas hazardous. Transport Quebec urged caution on the roads and to avoid non-essential travel and said the weather was likely to disrupt traffic conditions into 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.
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“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 second winter storm since Thursday was gradually moving toward central and eastern Quebec. The earlier storm brought between 20 and 40 cm of snow depending on the region.
The Eastern Region Ontario Provincial Police asked people to avoid travel as visibility worsened. Officers were sent to a single-vehicle rollover on Highway 401 on Sunday morning, police said on X, adding there were no injuries.
Meanwhile, OPP Central Region was asking people to take emergency detour routes in Northumberland County, east of Toronto, as the conditions worsen for highway drivers.
Meanwhile York Regional Police warned anyone thinking about venturing out on to Lake Simcoe, noting the winter storm is creating zero visibility for anyone going out by foot, snowmobile or all-terrain or utility vehicles.
Several dozen flights were cancelled or delayed Sunday morning at Toronto Pearson International Airport amid heavy snowfall. At Montreal-Trudeau International Airport, officials were also warning travellers to check their flight status and plan for the drive to the airport.
Toronto Pearson posted on X that the airport had accumulated over 12 cm of snow as of 8 a.m. on Sunday and was expecting another 15 cm by the end of the day.
Strong winds and snow are also expected in parts of the Maritime provinces, with strong winds expected to last until Monday in some areas.
Central and northern New Brunswick could receive more than 35 cm of snow, and a freezing rain warning was in effect in Nova Scotia.
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