Winter storm moves into Quebec and Ontario

Widespread weather warnings have been posted by Environment Canada from Ontario to Atlantic Canada as a result of this strong winter storm.

Freezing Rain Warning posted for metro Montreal.

A large area of low pressure continues to strengthen this morning while lifting northward from the Gulf Coast towards Lake Ontario. The storm has already proved deadly as nearly a dozen tornadoes swept across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida on Tuesday night. Several fatalities were reported along with widespread damage and multiple injuries.

Severe damage is shown above from tornadoes on Tuesday night in Convent, Louisiana. (AP PHOTO/Weather.com)

A surge of moisture and warm air is currently moving into southern Ontario and Quebec along with snow and freezing rain as the storm approaches. Temperatures in Montreal will warm from -3C (27F) currently, up through the freezing point to 5C (41F) by Thursday morning. The freezing rain will last the longest in the Ottawa Valley. The icy weather has already created poor driving conditions in upstate New York where several accidents were reported this morning. Any frozen precipitation will change to rain by midnight tonight. Widespread weather warnings are in place across a large swath of eastern Canada. The heaviest snow with this storm, up to 30cm, will fall from Lake Huron across central Ontario into central Quebec. On the warm side of the system, 25 to 50mm of rain is possible from Montreal into Atlantic Canada and New England. A rumble or two of thunder is not out of the question as well with this system. Winds will be strong and gusty, up to 60km/h today and tonight. Colder air will wrap into southern Quebec behind the storm late in the day on Thursday changing the rain back to light snow. Temperatures will drop back below freezing to -8C (18F) by Friday morning.