Montreal remained on the low end of historic winter storm

The cleanup is underway in Montreal after 15 to 20cm of snow fell on Monday. The heaviest snow with the storm, up to 50cm, fell across portions of Ontario from the Niagara region towards the Ottawa Valley. (ValleyWeather Photo) 

That was one nasty winter storm. The system developed over the prairies late last week before diving into the deep south this past weekend. Feeding off a combination of warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and frigid arctic air from the far north, the storm intensified rapidly, becoming a big weather maker for millions of North Americans. Heavy snow, freezing rain, strong winds, tornadoes, pounding surf and coastal flooding were all part of this storm as it worked its way northward along the eastern seaboard. The storm moved across southeastern Quebec late Monday.

The system brought a significant winter storm to parts of southern Ontario and Quebec. Historic snow amounts fell in Ontario, with close to 50cm in Ottawa and 40 to 45cm in Toronto. The snow fell quickly Monday morning catching many commuters off guard. Several highways in both Toronto and Ottawa became snarled with cars and trucks bogged down in deep snow. Around the Niagara region, the snow was accompanied by thunder and lightning. Some locations, including Ottawa, reported snow accumulations of up to 10cm (4 inches) in an hour or less.

Schools were closed across many parts of both southern Ontario and Quebec, including here in metro Montreal. 

A Go Transit bus stuck in the snow along Highway 401 in Toronto on Monday. The heavy snow brought traffic to a standstill in the GTA during the morning commute. Some motorists were stuck in their vehicles for up to 8 hours. (CBC photo)

The snow amounts were much lighter on the Quebec side of the border as a result of dry air working its way into the center of the powerful storm. This is a common occurrence with strong cyclonic storms. As a result the heavy snow only lasted an hour or so in the Montreal region. In the end, Trudeau Airport reported 17cm of snow. Other observers in the Montreal region reported between 20 and 25cm of snow. I had close to 20cm at my home on Île Perrot. Strong wind gusts up to 70km/h produced blowing snow and reduced visibility.

Despite the lighter accumulations, there were numerous accidents reported on Quebec highways. Several multiple vehicle collisions on the South Shore Monday afternoon resulted in the closure of sections of Highways 20 and 30. The Sûreté du Québec blamed the collisions on poor visibility and excessive speed for the conditions. Thankfully only minor injuries were reported. In Ontario, hundreds of accidents occurred, with two fatalities reported including a tow truck operator struck along Highway 417 near the Town of Arnprior.

The same storm was responsible for very strong winds in Atlantic Canada. A peak wind gust to 170km/h was observed at Plateau, Nova Scotia. The onshore winds produced coastal flooding in Maine and New Hampshire.