Christmas brings storms to East, Central Canada
A winter storm put a damper on the holidays in Atlantic Canada as forceful winds and a frosty deluge bear down on the region, disrupting travel plans and leaving tens of thousands of Nova Scotians without power on Christmas Day.
An intense low-pressure system made its way from Bay of Fundy to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and while precipitation appeared to have tapered off in some areas, heavy winds lashed much of the East Coast through Monday evening, Environment Canada said.
In Nova Scotia, winds were gusting up to 110 km/h in western areas and were to spread east before diminishing overnight, the weather agency said.
The province’s power utility reported nearly 79,000 residents were affected by power outages at about 7 p.m. local time, many of which were concentrated along the south shore.
In Toronto, Canada’s busiest airport, Pearson International, advised travellers that wintry weather in southern Ontario affected some flight schedules on Christmas Day.
Numerous Toronto-bound flights face delays, and some were cancelled.
Environment Canada issued several warnings and special weather statements for much of southern Ontario, with forecasts calling for either light or blowing snow in many areas.
In the U.S., the good news for many in the Northeast and Midwest was that it was a white Christmas. The bad news was that a blizzard swept into parts of New England and bitter cold enveloped much of the Midwest.
Even the usually rainy Pacific Northwest got the white stuff. The U.S. National Weather Service said it was only only the sixth time since 1884 that downtown Portland has had measurable snow — only an inch or two — on a Dec. 25.
A blizzard warning was issued Monday for portions of Maine and New Hampshire.