Heavy snowfall in eastern Canada since Wednesday has begun to disrupt many transportation activities.
In Quebec, Environment Canada announces a total accumulation of 15 to 25 centimeters of snow for several regions, including those of Montreal, the Laurentians, Mauricie, Estrie, Beauce and Quebec.
The storm will then reach the regions further east, as far as Gaspésie and the Lower North Shore, where there may be even more snow and where sometimes strong winds will further affect conditions.
Highways 20 and 40 were generally covered in snow late at night. Visibility varied from good to poor from the Ontario border to the Quebec City area, where it was sometimes nil due to snow drifts on the roadway caused by the winds.
Highways 10 and 15 were mostly snow covered, but visibility was fair.
The City of Montreal announced that a snow removal operation would begin Thursday around 7 a.m., starting with neighborhoods in the east of the city. Snowfall should then gradually decrease.
Dozens of flights were delayed or canceled early Thursday morning at Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau International Airport, but the situation seemed less worse at Jean-Lesage International Airport in Quebec.
In southern Ontario, Environment Canada reports that some areas may have received a total of 25 centimeters of snow or slightly more Thursday morning.
On Wednesday, Lester B. Pearson International Airport in Toronto reported that 25% of its departures and 26% of its arrivals had been cancelled, or more than 400 departures and arrivals.
As of Thursday morning, the number of delayed or canceled departures had decreased, but Ottawa International Airport also reported several canceled departures.
In New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, a multitude of rain and wind warnings have been issued by Environment Canada.
In most parts of central and northern New Brunswick, snow at times heavy may change to rain Thursday afternoon. Further south, some 20 millimeters of rain could fall in the Moncton area.
The Saint John area will experience heavy rain and strong winds, with southeasterly gusts of up to 80 kilometers per hour. 40 to 50 millimeters of rain are forecast along the Bay of Fundy coast.
In Nova Scotia, the total amount of rain expected in Halifax will range from 25 to 50 millimeters, but could reach 70 millimeters in the southwest of the province.
Further northeast, the Cape Breton Peninsula will be swept by southerly winds gusting to 90 to 100 kilometers per hour.