Southern Ontario is dealing with the aftermath of an ice storm that has left hundreds of thousands without power on Monday, while freezing rain in the Maritimes threatens travel plans as Christmas approaches.
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford said early Monday morning that the worst is over in the city, and he has not declared a state of emergency. However, there were still about 228,000 customers without power Monday morning and some may not have power until next weekend — well past Christmas.
The Greater Toronto Area bore the brunt of the storm on Sunday with between 10 and 30 millimetres of ice accumulation bringing down tree limbs and power lines.
Toronto Hydro hopes to restore some power today but warned people should prepare to be in the dark for several days. The city has opened nine warming centres and will open more as required.
Utility 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 expected to be on backup power until this afternoon.
"We've got a lot of cleanup to do before we can even begin restoration work," Link told CBC News Network.
More than 100,000 other customers in a band from Hamilton to Kingston were also estimated to still be in the dark Monday morning, according to the province's Hydro One.
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.
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.
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)
In the Maritimes, dozens of flights at the region's four major airports were delayed or cancelled on one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.
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 may even be some breaks [in precipitation] today before we start to see that moisture feeding in and then ice pellets, freezing rain, snowfall coming back in to the Maritimes," said CBC meteorologist Colette Kennedy. "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.
Weather warnings in Quebec
Quebec also dealt with stormy weather over the weekend, and it was suspected to have been a factor in four fatal highway accidents throughout the province.
There are still winter storm warnings in effect on Quebec's Gaspé Peninsula, and a freezing rain warning in the Eastern Townships.
Meanwhile, Via Rail warned commuters to expect delays on its routes between Toronto and Montreal, as well as between Halifax and Montreal, but said its schedules will be operating regularly.
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