Dozens of flights cancelled, nearly 45,000 without power as Canadians brace for freezing rain

A large portion of the country from Ontario to Newfoundland is bracing for a wet wintry weather mix on Wednesday, with some regions expected to see a “critical freezing rain event,” according to Environment Canada.

An area stretching east from Huntsville, Ont., that includes Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City, was under a freezing rain warning Wednesday morning. Environment Canada said between 20 and 40 millimetres of freezing rain is expected over a 24-hour period.

At Montreal-Trudeau airport, one of Canada’s busiest, just over a third of Wednesday’s scheduled flights were cancelled by airlines, with domestic and transborder routes most affected.

As of Wednesday afternoon, around a dozen flights had also been cancelled out of the Ottawa International Airport as well as more than a 20 flights had been cancelled at Quebec City’s Jean Lesage International Airport.

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Meanwhile, the entirety of southern Ontario, including the Greater Toronto Area, was under a rainfall warning, the government department said, with heavy rain expected throughout the day.

“The saturated or frozen ground will have little ability to absorb this rainfall,” said Environment Canada on its website.

“A series of low-pressure systems will lead to significant rainfall across parts of southern Ontario. Areas in the Huron-Perth region could get a total of 50 to 60 mm. Water will likely pool on roads and in low-lying areas.”

Tens of thousands in Ontario are without power as the storm moves east. According to Hydro Ontario’s website, more than 33,000 homes were without power, mainly in central Ontario as of Wednesday afternoon

Across Quebec, nearly 10,000 customers were without power at noon, including more than 6,000 in the Outaouais region as of Wednesday afternoon.

Some areas in Ontario and Quebec north of the regions expected to receive freezing rain Wednesday were under winter storm warnings, with snow, ice pellets and strong winds expected.

A portion of northeastern Quebec on the north side of the St. Lawrence River could see up to 40 centimetres of snow accumulation from Wednesday evening into Thursday afternoon, Environment Canada said.

In Montreal, Wednesday’s freezing rain could break a 70-year-old record that saw 19.33 millimetres if precipitation tops 20 millimetres.

Winter storm warnings were also in effect for northern and southern New Brunswick with some regions receiving between 15 to 25 centimetres of snow and ice pellet and freezing rain for four to eight hours or possibly more, according to Environment Canada.

• Warnings issued ahead of snowy, icy mix of weather in the Maritimes

The western side of Prince Edward Island was expected to see freezing rain later on Wednesday spanning overnight into Thursday morning, according to the agency.

In Newfoundland, the entire western coast of the island was under a weather warning, with “hazardous winter conditions” expected in the north and heavy rainfall in the south.

There were a few domestic flight cancellations Wednesday out of airports in Atlantic Canada, including Nova Scotia’s Halifax Stanfield and Newfoundland’s St. John’s International.

Snowfall warnings were issued for parts of southwestern Alberta Wednesday morning as heavy snow is expected tonight with a forecast of 15 to 25 centimetres of snow.

“Snow will intensify early this evening and continue through the night,” Environment Canada said, adding that by Thursday morning, these weather conditions will taper off.

Some areas of B.C., including southeastern regions, were under special weather statements due to risk of gusty winds up to 80 km/h. Other regions like West Columbia, Golden and Yoho Park are under snow fall warnings with snow forecast to accumulate between 10 to 15 centimetres. For Greater Victoria, Gulf Islands and the Malahat, these communities could expect high winds of up to 90 km/h.