The latest developments on the major winter storm moving across much of Canada

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/12/2022 (735 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A major winter storm is hitting Ontario and Quebec, causing flight cancellations, power outages and road closures. Bad weather is also expected in many other parts of the country. Here are the latest developments (all times Eastern):

—

9:15 p.m.

Hydro One says it has restored power to more than 110,000 customers across Ontario.

But the company warns that more outages are expected as the winter storm continues into Saturday.

It says about 70,000 of its customers in the province are still experiencing power outages that started early Friday morning.

Hydro One says it has mobilized crews from across Ontario as well as from other utilities and contractors.

—

7:45 p.m.

Authorities in British Columbia are warning drivers of avalanche risks created by the combination of heavy snow and freezing rain.

The Transport Ministry says there’s a moderate to high avalanche risk and parts of Highway 3 and Highway 1.

Highway 1 is closed near Jackass Mountain, northwest of Vancouver, while sections in the Fraser Canyon could face “extreme hazard” by Saturday morning.

There are also hazardous road conditions on Highway 3 from Hope to Princeton and Princeton to Hedley, lasting until Monday, and drivers are urged to avoid non-essential travel.

—

6:30 p.m.

Vancouver International Airport says 323 flights had been cancelled by 1:30 p.m. local time, while there had been 22 departures and 32 arrivals.

It’s unclear how many flights remain delayed as snow, rain and ice converged on Metro Vancouver.

The airport says both Air India and Singapore Airlines cancelled flights today and are facing lengthy delays for issues unrelated to weather.

It urges travellers to plan ahead and allow extra time to get to the airport, as ice and snow have caused major bridge and road closures in Metro Vancouver, as well as disruptions to the Canada Line.

—

5:15 p.m.

The Greater Toronto Airports Authority says nearly 39 per cent of all departing flights from Toronto Pearson International Airport today have been cancelled as a result of the winter storm.

It says just over 40 per cent of all arriving flights have also been cancelled due to the storm.

Media relations advisor Tori Gass says “the large majority” of the cancellations are related to WestJet’s decision on Thursday to halt flights after 9 a.m. today.

She says most of the other cancellations are related to other weather systems, including a Vancouver storm and a weather system that hit the U.S. on Thursday.

—

4:45 p.m.

The president of the Ottawa Paramedics Association says that all available paramedics have been deployed across the city.

Darryl Wilton says they’ve hired a roster of new paramedics who are encountering their first ever large snowstorm.

Ottawa has been hit with whiteout and blizzard conditions.

Wilton’s message to the public is, “for the love of Mother Nature, please slow down and move over for emergency vehicles.”

—

4:30 p.m.

The president of the Ontario Paramedic Association says high winds, freezing rain, blowing snow and icy roads and sidewalks are leading to high call volumes for ambulances.

Darryl Wilton says paramedic services are working at “full levels” across the province as regions receive calls for road-related events well as slips, trips and falls and “anything that you can imagine that we would have in a storm like this.”

He says slippery road conditions combined with closed and blocked roadways are making it difficult for paramedics to navigate to calls and creating conditions for level zeros, when there are no ambulance crews available to respond to a call.

The association is asking people to stay off the roads and is advising anyone at the scene of a collision to stay in their vehicles unless it’s absolutely necessary to leave them.

—

3:30 p.m.

Ontario Provincial Police say all westbound lanes of Highway 401 in a stretch of central Ontario are closed due to visibility issues.

A portion of the busy highway is also closed between Tilbury and London as road conditions worsen.

OPP have said up to 100 vehicles have been involved in multiple collisions on the Highway 401 corridor in southwestern Ontario.

OPP in South Bruce say Highway 21 has also been closed from Amberley to Saugeen First Nation and plows have stopped working, both due to high winds and blowing snow.

—

2:45 p.m.

Forecast rain and freezing rain have reached Metro Vancouver and are adding to the travel woes facing British Columbia’s south coast.

Two key bridges that handle the bulk of east-west traffic to and from Metro Vancouver and the B.C. Interior have been closed due to the risk of falling ice.

Snow and ice can build up on the cables supporting the bridges and drop so-called ice bombs down on passing vehicles.

There’s no word when either the Port Mann or Alex Fraser bridges are likely to reopen.

—

2:30 p.m.

Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra says he understands the frustrations of those who’ve had holiday travel plans upended by the storm.

Bad weather in regions across Canada is causing flight cancellations and delays.

WestJet has cancelled all flights at airports in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia today while Air Canada has also cancelled “a number of flights” in Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto.

Alghabra says the government is working with airports, airlines and industry partners to ensure everyone remains safe.

—

1:30 p.m.

Metrolinx, the parent company for GO Transit, says the winter storm is affecting bus and train service for its routes in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

It says there will be no early homebound service due to the storm and advises customers to check a modified storm schedule on its website.

The Toronto Transit Commission has issued a number of alerts for multiple routes affected by weather conditions.

It says it took out of service 41 bus stops in hilly areas that are difficult to navigate in snowy and icy conditions, while the Line 3 subway in Scarborough is also down.

—

1:15 p.m.

Ontario Provincial Police say up to 100 vehicles have been involved in multiple collisions on the busy Highway 401 in southwestern Ontario.

Sgt. Kerry Schmidt says a stretch of the highway is shut in both directions between Tilbury and London due to worsening road conditions.

Highway 402 has also been shut down in sections near London due to multiple collisions as a major storm moves across the province.

Schmidt says in an online video that the OPP is also seeing collisions near Cambridge as wind and snow cause whiteout conditions.

—

12:40 p.m.

Environment Canada is forecasting freezing rain for much of British Columbia’s south coast, with the agency warning of icy accumulations between five and 25 millimetres.

Vancouver International Airport says the freezing rain will arrive on top of as much as 14 centimetres of snow that fell overnight.

BC Hydro says more than 5,000 customers are without power across the province, with the largest outages concentrated across Vancouver Island and on the Lower Mainland.

Forecasters are eyeing the potential for flooding as temperatures nudge 10 C this weekend and 50 to 80 millimetres of rain is expected to drench the region by Saturday night.

—

12:20 p.m.

Roughly 300,000 customers are without power as a major winter storm hits Ontario and Quebec.

Hydro-Québec says over 241,000 customers are without power as of noon, with the largest outages affecting the Capitale-Nationale, Outaouais, Estrie, Laurentides and Montérégie regions.

Meanwhile, Hydro One says more than 50,000 customers are without power across most of southern Ontario, while Hydro Ottawa says outages are currently affecting 11,500 customers.

About 30,000 customers are without power in central Ontario, with outages stretching from north of Peterborough to south of Algonquin Provincial Park.

—

11:45 a.m.

Ontario Provincial Police are urging drivers to avoid unnecessary travel, saying motorists should stay off the roads if they can.

OPP say roads are slick and slushy and littered with downed trees and power lines.

The force says some areas are experiencing low to zero visibility due to the snow.

A stretch of the busy Highway 401 has been closed in both directions between London, Ont., and Tilbury, Ont., with multiple crashes reported.

—

11:15 a.m.

Toronto Pearson International Airport and Ottawa International Airport are advising travellers to check their flight status before leaving for the airport.

WestJet has cancelled all flights at airports in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, with affected airports including those in Toronto, Ottawa, London, Ont., Waterloo, Ont., and Montreal.

Air Canada says it has cancelled “a number of flights” in Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto today, including all its flights out of Toronto’s downtown island airport.

—

11 a.m.

Hydro-Québec says the Outaouais, Laurentian and Capitale-Nationale regions are currently the most affected by the winter storm.

It says crews are working to restore power to more than 200,000 customers.

Hydro One, Ontario’s largest electricity utility, says crews have already responded to “significant” power outages this morning as high winds hit regions across the province.

The utility’s outage map shows nearly 37,000 customers without power as of 10:40 a.m.

—

10:30 a.m.

Environment Canada is predicting strong winds, heavy snowfall and possible flash freezing from the major winter storm that’s hitting Ontario and Quebec today.

The agency has issued weather warnings for much of the two provinces.

Meteorologist Mitch Meredith says he has “only seen a couple of storms like this in the last 20 years.”

Rain was followed by plummeting temperatures this morning in parts of southern Ontario, which the weather agency says could result in flash-freezing conditions.

—

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 23, 2022.