The bare pavement that commuters grew accustomed to was quickly covered by snow as Mother Nature reminds Quebecers winter is still upon us.
Much of the province was battered by heavy winds gusting up to 60 kilometers an hour.
Depending on the region, according to Environment Canada, up to seven centimeters of snow mixed with ice pellets fell overnight and into the morning.
The blast of winter caused hazardous driving conditions with multiple accidents reported on local highways, according to Quebec Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault, who urged motorists to “slow down” and “stay home if possible.”
The blistering weather caused a number of school closures off-island on the south shore but the majority of school boards remained open in the Greater Montreal area.
The storm grounded dozens of planes out of Trudeau International Airport, with the departure board displaying several delayed or cancelled flights.
The weather system was difficult to pinpoint and track, according to Meteorologist Marie-Eve Giguere of Environment Canada.
“The system shifted. The warm air aloft moves slightly further North, so Montreal ended up with more ice pellets than snow that was originally forecasted,” Giguere said.
In the Eastern Townships, freezing rain forced ski hills to close or reduce service.
Mont Orford announced their operations would be shut down for the day in the name of safety.
“We tried to prevent the situation by running our ski lifts during the night so that they could be in operation, however, the freezing rain which has been falling since 2 a.m. prevents us from working the slopes, causing ski conditions too dangerous,” a statement on the hills website reads.