More than 41 centimetres of snow dumped on Montreal Friday, closing schools, clogging roads and beating the December snowfall record set in 1969. And it's still coming down.
Thirty-eight centimetres fell on the city on Dec. 27, 1969.
The snowstorm, which began early Friday, greeted Montrealers with a picturesque yet hectic morning scene that saw parked cars turned into snowbanks and left some roads impassable.
About 3,000 city snow removal vehicles began prowling the streets shortly after 3 a.m. when the snow began, but still had plenty of work to do in the evening to manage the ever-mounting mass on the city's 4,700 kilometres of roadways, said Patricia Lowe, of the City of Montreal.
"The snow fell so swiftly and thickly… the crews had a hard time keeping up," she said.
About 2,200 drivers had called CAA for help by mid-afternoon, even though 90 per cent of Quebecers have snow tires on their vehicles.
While many city residents found public transit to be the easiest way to get across the city, those taking the bus out of town weren't as lucky. Intercity bus service slowed drastically for the day, as did flights leaving Trudeau International Airport - at least 200 were cancelled or delayed. The airport will stay open overnight to process the backlog.
The storm, which swung past southwestern Ontario on Thursday, dumped 38 centimetres in Kingston and 24 in Ottawa. Authorities said at least 52 Ottawa city buses skidded out of control, and that city's airport also reported delays.
The storm is expected to move east to Quebec City and has already hit other parts of the province. Winter storm warnings are also in effect for parts of Atlantic Canada. A blizzard warning has been issued for parts of Newfoundland and Labrador, while up to 20 centimetres of snow is expected in areas in New Brunswick.
When it blew through southern Ontario Thursday, the storm wasn't nearly as powerful as predicted. However, the Ontario Provincial Police suspect weather conditions are to blame for at least three deaths.
Two people from Mississauga died after their SUV flipped over and hit a utility pole. Another person died in a crash with a transport truck late last night near Burlington on Hwy. 6.
In the GTA, snow amounts varied greatly, with Toronto's Pearson International Airport reporting eight centimetres, and Buttonville Airport in Markham reporting 14 centimetres.
The storm dumped about 25 centimetres over parts of the Niagara Peninsula, according to Environment Canada.
