Winter storms are causing heavy snow, freezing rain, flight cancellations and power outages in several states.
About 300,000 customers are without power in Ontario and Quebec.
Hydro One said more than 50,000 customers were without power across most of southern Ontario, Hydro Ottawa About 8,600 customers were affected by 26 reported blackouts in the city around 2:15 p.m. ET.
Approximately 30,000 customers are without power in central Ontario, with the blackout extending from north of Peterborough to south of Algonquin Provincial Park.
toronto hydro blackout map shows that thousands of customers in the North York neighborhood north of Toronto are currently without power.
Hydro-Québec said more than 241,000 customers were without power as of noon on Friday, with the largest outage affecting the Capitale-Nationale, Outaouais, Estrie, Laurentides and Montérégie regions.
Ontario Police advise against travel, stating: Routes 401 and 402 Southwestern Ontario is temporarily closed after multiple crashes involving up to 100 vehicles.
You don’t want to get caught up in this. #middlesex opp Press Secretary Cst. Jeff Hare says the 401/402 corridor is one of the worst traffic scenes he’s ever seen. Today is a good day to stay home and stay safe.Click here for road closure information @OPP_COMM_WR Also @511ON West.^Dr. pic.twitter.com/2iKGIpkN2u
— OPP West Region (@OPP_WR) December 23, 2022
In British Columbia, some 5,000 residents The municipalities of Tofino and Ucluelet have been without power since the early hours of December 23rd. about 2,000 Customers at Boat Harbor also experienced a power outage.
The BC government has issued a vehicle travel advisory as the province expects 20 to 30 centimeters of snow, along with ice packs that can freeze roads and freezing rain.Several highways and bridges including portman bridge When alex fraser bridgeWe will be temporarily closed due to the risk of icing on the vehicle.
is more than 20 million people Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) said the whole country could be affected by the storm. Officials have issued extreme cold warnings and winter storm warnings ahead of the storm, warning of high winds, heavy snow and freezing rain.
The storm has already cut power to 1.4 million Americans and 200 million people were advised or warned on the morning of December 23rd.
flight cancellation
Toronto Pearson International Airport When Ottawa International Airport Many flights have been canceled or delayed, so travelers are advised to check flight status before leaving for the airport.
WestJet said: news release Beginning at 9:00 am on December 23rd, we are “aggressively canceling” flights, affecting flights to and from Toronto, Ottawa, London, Waterloo, Ontario and Montreal, Quebec.
The timing of reopening depends on the weather on December 24, the company said.
Air Canada has announced that it has canceled “a large number of flights” in Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto.Also issued List of flights that may face disruptions that may affect flights to and from December 23rd to December 25th multiple airports in Canada and the United States.
Canadian Press contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Please check the latest information.
Andrew Chen is a reporter for the Epoch Times based in Toronto.