Winter storm blasts across Ontario, parts of Quebec

A winter storm is battering southern Ontario and parts of Quebec Monday, with anywhere from 15 to 50 centimetres of snow expected to fall across the provinces.

Across southern Ontario, the regions of Halton-Peel, Belleville-Quinte-Northumberland, Dunnville – Caledonia-Haldimand, Hamilton, Toronto, Niagara and York-Durham are under a blizzard warning.

All other regions under a public weather alert are under either a snowfall or winter storm warning, with up to 50 centimetres of snow expected to fall in certain regions.

Environment Canada senior climatologist Dave Phillips said on CTV News Channel Monday that the storm could be “one of the snowiest days in recent history,” after parts of the country were in a “snow drought” this winter.

“This storm is a hard hitter but it really is also a quick hitter,” Phillips said. “It arrived on time like it was following a script…very few areas will escape this…with really a lot of snow in certain areas, looking at these numbers for Toronto, this isn’t even a two or three-day event, this is less than a day.”