Snowy weather leads to school closures, flight cancellations in Ontario, Quebec, Atlantic Canada

It’s here. It’s messy. It’s wreaking havoc on the commute and perhaps making some of us question our life choices.

But as the saying goes: a Canadian is like a winter tire — you can’t tell how strong they are until you put them in cold weather.

The extreme winter weather most of southern Canada has been anticipated landed with a wallop Thursday morning, with much of southern Ontario and Quebec under winter storm and snowfall warnings as a low-pressure system moves east toward the Atlantic provinces.

“If you’re going to be on the roads, stay in control, eyes on the road, hands on the wheel and your mind thinking about what’s going on,” Sgt. Kerry Schmidt with the highway safety division of the Ontario Provincial Police told CBC News Network on Thursday morning from Toronto.

Between 15 and 40 centimetres is forecast to fall by this afternoon across an area stretching from Windsor, Ont., to Gaspé in Quebec. School cancellations have been reported in the province in Windsor, London, Waterloo, the Greater Toronto Area and eastern Ontario, as well as across southern Quebec.

All school buses were cancelled in Ottawa as the city was smothered in about 20 cm of snow by 6 a.m., with an additional 10 to 20 cm expected.

The rest of the Highway 401 corridor, including Belleville, Brockville and Kingston and Prince Edward County, has a snowfall warning of about five to 10 more cm of snow and possible ice pellets.

Toronto Pearson International Airport accumulated 22 cm of snow as of 6:30 a.m. ET, the airport said in a social media post. The airport said it’s the heaviest accumulation so far this winter. Several flights scheduled to depart Thursday have been cancelled, with travellers advised other flights are delayed.

In its latest update, the federal weather agency said the city would receive two to five cm of snow on Thursday morning. There is also a risk of freezing rain on Thursday near Lake Ontario, it said.

Schools closed, flights cancelled as Quebec gets buried under snow

Quebec is getting walloped by a major snowstorm on Thursday, which has forced school service centres across the province to close and led to flight cancellations.

There are multiple school closures in Montreal, where up to 40 cm of snow is expected by Thursday evening. Quebec City is set to receive up to 30 cm.

“We’re asking everyone who is able to work from home to do so. Otherwise, take public transit. Bottom line is, if it’s not urgent, postpone your appointment,” a spokesman for the City of Montreal told CBC News Network.

System moves east

New Brunswick could see up to 25 cm in some areas as snowfall continues into tonight, with a freezing rain risk in central and southern parts of the province. Provincial schools have closed for the day.

In Nova Scotia, some schools are closed for the day while others will let out two to three hours early, depending on the region. The Halifax Airport late Wednesday advised travellers to check the flight status for any arrivals and departures today.

Snowfall in western Newfoundland is expected to continue into Friday, with at least 10 to 20 cm forecast.

Meanwhile, several provinces out west are dealing with an extended period of extreme cold.

Parts of southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba, along with sections of Alberta and northern Ontario, are expected to see wind chill values of –40 C or lower this week.

How multiple storm systems are coming together to bury Eastern Canada

Double storms from south of the border are lining up to bring heavy snow to Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada through to the middle of February.