A huge weekend storm has left hundreds of thousands of people across southern Ontario facing a possible dark Christmas, after a thick layer of ice caused power outages and major travel disruptions on roads and in the air.
The storm is still hitting the Maritimes, with freezing rain warnings throughout P.E.I. and most of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. There are also winter storm warnings in effect on Quebec's Gaspé Peninsula, and a freezing rain warning in the Eastern Townships.
The Greater Toronto Area bore the brunt of the storm on Sunday with between 10 and 30 millimetres of ice accumulating on surfaces and trees, and about 228,000 customers still without power early Monday morning.
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford said early Monday morning that the worst is over, and that it will be business as usual at city hall. He has not declared a state of emergency.
The city has opened nine warming centres and will open more as required.
Toronto Hydro hopes to restores some power today but warns people should prepare to be in the dark for several days.
Toronto Hydro spokeswoman Jennifer Link said the fallen trees and power lines meant crews spent much of the first day focusing on safety. Power has been restored to the city's water system and Toronto East General Hospital, but Sunnybrook Hospital is still running on backup power.
"We've got a lot of cleanup to do before we can even begin restoration work," she told CBC News Network on Monday morning.
More than 100,000 other customers in a band from Niagara Falls to Kingston were also estimated to still be in the dark Monday morning, according to the province's Hydro One.
While freezing rain and precipitation is expected to taper off as the storm system moves eastward, Environment Canada has forecast colder temperatures for central Canada over the next several days, meaning the ice is likely here to stay. Commuters are warned that untreated roads may be slippery, making travelling difficult.The storm is suspected to have played some factor in four fatal highway accidents in Quebec Friday to Saturday, and another in Ontario.
Environment Canada also warned of light to moderate winds over the next few days, which could lead to falling tree branches.
Temperatures in Toronto are expected to hit a high of -3 C Monday, dropping to -10 C overnight and then set to stay below -9 C on Tuesday.
Airport delays
Passengers were stranded in airports from Toronto to St. John's, N.L., during one of the busiest travel weekends, and delays and cancellations may continue as the holidays approach.
Several airlines, including Air Canada, are advising passengers to check their flight status before heading to the airport. They are also urging passengers to give themselves extra time in case of delays on the road.
Bradley Russell, on a break from work in Fort McMurray, Alta., was trying to fly home Sunday to his wife and four-year-old son in Gander, N.L.
The fallen trees and power lines in Toronto forced works crews to focus on safety instead of power restoration in the storm's immediate aftermath. (Mark Blinch/Reuters)
"I've got a little boy, he wants me home, so I need to get home," said Russell as he searched frantically for an alternative flight at Toronto's Pearson International Airport, where many flights were listed as delayed or cancelled through Sunday night.
Meanwhile, Via Rail warned commuters to expect delays on its routes between Toronto and Montreal, Ottawa and New York as well as between Halifax and Montreal, but said its schedules will be operating regularly.
Maritimes face day of freezing rain
Freezing rain was falling in the Maritimes on Monday morning, and moisture from a system moving up the eastern seaboard was expected to feed into the storm that pushed in from Ontario and Quebec.
"There's a little freezing rain going on there now," said CBC meteorologist Colette Kennedy. "There may even be some breaks today before we start to see that moisture feeding in and then ice pellets, freezing rain, snowfall coming back in to the Maritimes. There's still plenty of this to go and it's going to be a very, very tricky day there."
CBC reporter Catherine Harrop said from Fredericton that three areas — Fredericton, St. Stephen, and Rothesay — are dealing with power outages that could last into the evening.
"The roads across New Brunswick are either snow covered or ice covered and people are being warned to stay off them if you don't have to go out today, and certainly travelling home or to another province for the holidays is not recommended," she said.
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