Winter storm slams Eastern Canada, causing power outages, flash freeze warnings

A winter storm that pummelled Atlantic Canada over the weekend and into Monday morning has caused flash freeze warnings and flooding, as temperatures have dropped across the region, with extreme cold warnings in other parts of the country.

The eastern storm also brought ice pellets, freezing rain and snow forcing many flight cancellations, flooded streets, school closures and travel advisories across the Maritimes.

In New Brunswick, some offices and universities delayed opening after rain left some streets in Saint John submerged under waters filled with ice.

CBC meteorologist Tina Simpkin said there were pockets of heavy snowfall, with total accumulation ofabout 35 centimetres across the province.

Fredericton received 10-15 cm followed by ice pellets and freezing rain followed by another dusting of snow.

6 years ago

Duration 1:00

A major winter storm that's pummelling the province has forced all schools to close, flight cancellations and thousands of NB Power customers to lose electricity Monday.Many communities across the province are still digging out from a significant snowfall on Sunday.

Environment Canada was forecasting flurries and ice pellets or freezing rain across New Brunswick this morning, changing to snow in the afternoon with winds gusting to 40 km/h, and wind chill temperaturesas low as 50 C.

Thousands of NB Power customers were also left in the dark early Monday. At its peak,more than 3,000 customers were without electricity.

Drains covered in solid ice lead to heavy flooding in Saint John's west side

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Duration 1:01

This video was shot by Liz Fulton at the corner of Rodney and Ludlow streets in Saint John's west side. People were trying to find the drains to clear them but they were covered in solid ice.

Marc Belliveau, a spokesperson for NB Power, said freezing rain is causing trees and branches to make contact with power lines.

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Although the storm is moving eastward, Simpkin said,itproducing rain over the eastern half of the Maritimes.

"Cold air is moving in behind the system and temperatures will drop below freezing this afternoon [Monday]," she said.

"A lot of cleanup I'm sure going on within the next 24 [to] 48 hours."

Simpkin saidthough other areas are not included in the Environment Canada flash freeze warnings, all of mainland Nova Scotia will see a rapid drop in temperatures below zero.

Freezing temperatures over the last few weeks have kept the ground frozen, even as temperatures climbed into the plus-double digits on Sunday, resulting in flooding in some areas.

The Halifax area received about fivecentimetres of snow on Sunday before the rain started, totallingmore than 50 millimetres.

Allthat rain onto frozen ground caused localized flooding in some areas, forcing the City of Halifax to close one of the off-ramps from the MacKay Bridge.

Streets, sidewalks covered in water

On Monday, temperatures are expected to drop once again before many surfaceshave a chance to dry.

Temperatures were already creeping below zero in southwestern Nova Scotia before 7 a.m. AT on Monday.

Temperatures fluctuated wildly over Eastern Canada on Sunday, from as low as 42 Cin Fontages, Que., to as high as 12 Cin Greenwood, N.S., according to Environment Canada.

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On Prince Edward Island, the storm brought 11 centimetresof snow and 13 millimetresof rain to Charlottetown Airport on Sunday, and it'sthe rain that followed the snow that has become an issue.

Temperatures climbed to 8 Covernight, and streets, roads and sidewalks have been covered in standing water.

The temperature is forecast to dive to 6 C by mid-afternoon and 13 C overnight, prompting a flash freeze warning from Environment Canada.

"It's slippery conditions. With the rain that we had yesterday, it's hard to treat the roadways," said Simpkin.

Newfoundland faced wind and rainfall warnings Monday, with 20 mm of precipitation forecast for the south coast, along with 50 km/h winds gusting to 80 and even 100 km/h in some areas.

Extreme cold warnings for Ontario, Quebec

In other parts of the country, Ontario and most of Quebec areunder extreme cold warnings.

Environment Canada saidwind chill values of 30 C to 38 C will persist throughout the morning in some parts of Ontario.

Ottawa-Gatineau remains caught in January's brutally cold grip, with Monday's forecast calling for a high of only 17 C and winds that wouldmake conditions feel between 10 and 20 degrees colder.

Monday night's low is expected to dip toaround 27 C, and that means it could only take minutes for frostbite to set in.

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If youre parking outside this winter, check these five ways to keep your car from freezing up.

The overnight wind chill is expected to bottomout at 36 C.

In Toronto, thecold snap isn't over yet, either.

Monday will bring sunny skies and a high of 12 C, but with the wind chill, that wouldfeel more like 33 C inthe morning and 20 C in the afternoon.

In the early morning, the cold has prompted school bus cancellationsaround the Greater Toronto Area, with boards concerned about students waiting outside for their buses.

Environment Canada also warns about the risk of frostbite, saying exposed skin can freeze within just a few minutes.

Winter festival cancelled

The Montreal area was pelted with 25 centimetresof snow over the weekend, and low temperatures persist Monday.

Environment Canada has calledfor periods of light snowfall during the day until late afternoon, with a low of 20 C.

With the wind chill, however, the weather agency warned it could feel as cold as 33 C with a risk of frostbite.

The city even cancelled a festival dedicated to snow on Sunday.

The city said it was suspending theFte des neiges at Parc Jean-Drapeau due to the snowy, windy and cold weather as well as the dangerous conditions on Quebec's roads.