A blowing snow advisory has been issued in Quebec as the province begins to dig out from another major snow storm that dumped an additional 40 centimetres of snow in parts of the province on Sunday.
Environment Canada warned Monday that winds with speeds of up to 70 km/h will cause blowing snow and snow drifts and visibility will be reduced to near-zero.
The advisory is in effect for the greater Montreal area, along the St. Lawrence Valley, the Laurentians, the Eastern Townships, Beauce, the Laurentians Wildlife Reserve and Lac-Saint-Jean.
“Travel is expected to be hazardous due to reduced visibility in some locations. Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions,” the federal weather agency said. “Road traffic could be affected by significantly reduced visibilities and snow accumulating on roads.”
City officials in Montreal are asking residents to be patient, as snow clearing operations will take up to at least eight days.
“We just went through an unprecedented storm, with nearly 74 centimetres of snow accumulated in record time,” the city said in a statement. “Montreal is buried.”
Nearly 3,000 workers and 2,500 snow removal vehicles will be dispatched in the city’s snow removal operation in the coming days.
In a press briefing, city spokesperson Philippe Sabourin reminded people to not leave their homes unless “absolutely necessary” and to use public transportation.
Sabourin also said Monday’s garbage, recycling and compost collection service has been suspended for a week.
He asked residents to remove their bins from the street in order to allow the city to carry out the snow removal operation.
Parking bans remain in effect and should be respected to allow crews to perform their jobs, the city said. “If they have to go around obstacles, it slows the whole process.”
English school boards and French-language school service centres announced Sunday evening that all classes in the greater Montreal area would be cancelled at primary and high schools on Monday due to snow.
The winter storm hit both Quebec and Ontario, where a third major snow storm in a week blanketed Toronto. City officials in Toronto said Monday its snow clearing operation could take up to three weeks.
As of Monday morning, air traffic flow at both Toronto’s Pearson and Montreal’s Trudeau international airports had returned to normal levels after delays, said Nav Canada, the body that runs the country’s civil air navigation.
It said passengers should check the status of their flight with their airline.
–with files from Gabby Rodrigues and The Canadian Press
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