A winter storm of rare proportions blanketed much of southern Ontario with heavy snow Monday, causing widespread school closures and travel disruptions, at one point shutting down two major highways.

Environment Canada issued snowfall, winter storm or blizzard warnings for a stretch of the province spanning from the Cornwall area to the east, the Algonquin region to the west, and the Niagara and London regions to the south.

As much as 50 centimetres of snow was expected in some areas, and the weather agency warned residents to be cautious given the risk of reduced visibility on the road.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 probably true that this is a once-in-a-decade kind of event, especially the scale of it,B次元官网网址� said Steven Flisfeder, lead meteorologist with Environment Canada.

B次元官网网址淐ertainly places along the Lake Huron shores and Georgian Bay shores have seen fairly significant lake effect snow events that could give them similar snowfall totals, but for such a widespread area to receive such large amounts of snow is fairly rare.B次元官网网址�

ItB次元官网网址檚 also rare to see a blizzard warning issued for the Toronto region, he said.

B次元官网网址�(In) Toronto, as far as I know, we havenB次元官网网址檛 seen a blizzard warning in at least a few decades,B次元官网网址� Flisfeder said. The Toronto area was later downgraded to a winter storm warning.

A blizzard warning means the agency expects at least four hours with 400 metres or less of visibility, with winds of at least 40 kilometres per hour, he said.

In comparison, a winter storm warning means a forecast of more than 25 centimetres of snow within 24 hours, along with other criteria such as blowing snow and reduced visibility, he said.

Newmarket, Ont., resident Alireza Firoozi got up Monday morning with a mission to head to his office in downtown Toronto. But soon after he started driving, he said he was filled with regret.

B次元官网网址淚 saw the snow and I couldnB次元官网网址檛 move, but I pushed myself. I think I couldB次元官网网址檝e worked from home, but I didnB次元官网网址檛 do that,B次元官网网址� he said.

Firoozi later decided to seek refuge at his girlfriendB次元官网网址檚 home in the north end of Toronto, but as he tried to pull up to her condo building, his car got stuck in snow.

B次元官网网址淚 read the news last night and they announced today thereB次元官网网址檚 going to be a storm and bad weather, and I thought, B次元官网网址業 can make it, I can do it,B次元官网网址� but I didnB次元官网网址檛,B次元官网网址� he said with a chuckle, before making another attempt to push his car out of the snow.

By Monday afternoon, the stormB次元官网网址檚 intensity had already decreased, and that should continue until the system moves east, Flisfeder said. There could still be lingering road closures Tuesday as municipalities work to clear the snow, he said.

The weather prompted many school boards to cancel school bus service and in-person classes Monday just as schools were set to reopen following two weeks of online learning.

Mail delivery was also put on hold in areas grappling with the storm. Canada Post said it was issuing a B次元官网网址渞ed delivery service alertB次元官网网址� for eastern and southern Ontario, meaning delivery would be suspended and agents wouldnB次元官网网址檛 be sent out.

Dozens of flights to and from TorontoB次元官网网址檚 Pearson airport were also delayed or cancelled Monday morning, according to the airportB次元官网网址檚 website.

Toronto police temporarily shut down two of the cityB次元官网网址檚 major highways, the Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway, due to safety concerns. The Gardiner and the DVP fully reopened by the afternoon.

Another key Toronto-area highway was largely B次元官网网址渂arrenB次元官网网址� Monday morning because of the snow, Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said.

Schmidt posted several videos of the Toronto portion of Highway 401, showing a handful of vehicles stopped in the snow. B次元官网网址淭he only traffic that I see is vehicles that are stuck,B次元官网网址� he said, adding even some tow trucks were stopped.

B次元官网网址淭his is the day you shouldB次元官网网址檝e stayed home,B次元官网网址� he said.

Premier Doug Ford attempted to help drivers stranded by the snow in Toronto. In an interview from his vehicle, Ford told TV news channel CP24 that he was driving around to check on people and offer rides home.

B次元官网网址淐ars are stuck all over the place,B次元官网网址� Ford said. B次元官网网址淵ou just do what you have to do. EveryoneB次元官网网址檚 doing it, IB次元官网网址檓 no different. Premier or no premier B次元官网网址� there to help your neighbours right now.B次元官网网址�

Public transit in the Toronto area was also affected by the weather, with the regional GO Transit network saying a number of its bus routes would be temporarily suspended or adjusted for safety.

The Toronto Transit Commission said customers should also expect longer-than-normal wait and travel times as the snow affects all its bus and streetcar routes.

A number of communities also called off COVID-19 vaccination clinics for the day in light of the weather. Clinics were cancelled in Toronto, Niagara Falls, Stratford, Oshawa and across the Simcoe-Muskoka and Leeds, Grenville and Lanark health units.

Environment Canada also issued winter storm warnings for most parts of Quebec, with 25 centimetres of snow expected in the areas of Montreal and for the provincial capital, while the Gatineau region, close to Ottawa, could see up to 40 centimetres of snow before the end of the day.

For Montrealer Olivier Lecomte and his three children, the snowy conditions didnB次元官网网址檛 stop them from enjoying a day outside.

B次元官网网址淎 snowball fight, building a snow castle and shopping around,B次元官网网址� Lecomte said, describing what MondayB次元官网网址檚 storm had in store for the family.

While elementary and high school students had been expected to resume in-person learning on Monday across Quebec, most institutions remained closed due to the weather. Lecomte childrenB次元官网网址檚 school was no exception.

B次元官网网址淲e were expecting to finally have them back in school after online classes, but we adapted once again today because of the storm,B次元官网网址� Lecomte said.

The streets of the cityB次元官网网址檚 Plateau-Mont-Royal borough were empty Monday afternoon, but 71-year-old Louise Paul was out, already shoveling her car. She said she was hoping to take the road by the end of the day to run some errands.

B次元官网网址淲e are used to this here in Quebec, I was expecting it to be much more intense than this,B次元官网网址� Paul said, pausing to contemplate the amount of work she was facing. B次元官网网址淎lthough, maybe IB次元官网网址檒l wait (for) tomorrow.B次元官网网址�

Driving conditions deteriorated rapidly Monday afternoon across Quebec.

The provincial police reported multi-cars pileups, closing parts of three major highways around MontrealB次元官网网址檚 areas. Police said in a statement some people suffered injuries, but B次元官网网址渘one appear to be life-threatening at this time.B次元官网网址� Quebec Transport Minister Fran莽ois Bonnardel issued several tweets, asking people to remain vigilant.

B次元官网网址淥nce again, IB次元官网网址檓 asking people to avoid travel,B次元官网网址� Bonnardel said Monday.

Winter storm and wind warnings were also in place for much of Alberta, including Edmonton. In parts of the province, Environment Canada said temperature drops of 10 to 15 C were possible in a short period of time.

In northern Manitoba, the weather agency issued extreme cold weather warnings, saying temperatures in the -30s combined with wind speeds of 10 to 20 km/h would produce an B次元官网网址渆xtended period of extreme wind chill values over the next few days.B次元官网网址� Parts of southern Manitoba were expected to see heavy snowfall Monday evening.

Winter storm, snowfall and freezing rain warnings were issued in parts of Saskatchewan as well.

B次元官网网址擯aola Loriggio, The Canadian Press