Severe winter storms that hit Ontario and Quebec canceled flights, closed schools and threatened widespread power outages on Friday. Environment Canada meteorologists have warned of the possibility of a one-degree weather event in 2010.
Environment Canada has issued a Winter Storm Warning for most of Ontario and Quebec, forecasting high winds, heavy snowfall and the possibility of flash freezing.
“We may only see these storms once every five or ten years,” said Environment Canada meteorologist Mitch Meredith. I have no problem.”
Parts of southern Ontario will see temperatures plummet following the rain, with a potential freezing point late Friday morning, while strong winds and blizzard conditions are forecast for some areas.
Environment Canada forecasts winds of up to 100 kilometers per hour in certain parts of the province and higher in some areas around Lake Ontario, such as Niagara and Kingston, with the potential for widespread utility outages. I warn you about sex.
“The problem with that is that the temperature drops below freezing right after the power outage occurs. So this is a dangerous situation for people,” Meredith said.
Quebec expects a mix of heavy snow, rain and high winds in many areas, but freezing rain is possible in some areas.
The incoming storm upended thousands of people’s holiday travel plans as airlines preemptively canceled flights, and further disruption was expected.
WestJet announced late Thursday that it was canceling flights at airports in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia.
The cancellation applies to all flights scheduled to and from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport from 9 a.m. Friday through the end of the day, the airline said. Other airports affected by service disruptions include those in Ottawa, London, Ontario, Waterloo, Ontario and Montreal.
Air Canada announced Friday that it has canceled “a large number of flights” in Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto, including all flights departing from Toronto’s downtown island airport.
The Toronto Transportation Commission has closed 41 bus stops located in hilly areas where snow and ice conditions make travel difficult. GO Transit, which serves the Greater Toronto and Hamilton areas, canceled express trains and reduced train operations during peak hours.
Hydro One, Ontario’s largest utility, said crews responded to a “significant” power outage on Friday morning as high winds hit areas across the state. A utility outage map showed that about 30,000 customers had no power at 9:00 am.
Toronto Hydro has notified customers to update their emergency kits and said additional crew members are ready to support customers throughout the weekend.
