A light blanket of snow fell over Montreal overnight, and it will be covered with rain, freezing rain and possibly more snow by day's end.
Environment Canada says 5 centimetres of snow fello over the island before dawn on Monday.
The Monday-morning rush hour became a slushy mess because the snow changed to freezing rain before most motorists hit the road. Showers are expected to continue throughout the day, turning to either freezing rain or snow in the evening.
City crews were out overnight, removing snow as soon as 2.5 cm had accumulated. Once the snow turned to rain they began spreading salt and gravel on roads and sidewalks.
They are also keeping an eye on sewers in Montreal, making sure they don't get blocked with snow or ice.
Transports Quebec is urging drivers to be extremely careful on the roads, because many seem to be surprised by the slippery conditions every year and need time to adjust. The deadline to install winter tires is Dec. 15.
Commuters in the City of Montreal are encouraged to use public transportation if possible.Those slippery, sloppy conditions convinced many schools north of the island of Montreal to close for the day.
Quebec City should be getting up to 10 cm of snow Monday, while the latest forecast is predicting anywhere from 15 to 20 cm of snow for Trois-Rivières and Sherbrooke.
Smaller accumulations are expected on the North Shore, in Sept-Îles and Baie-Comeau, among others.
About five centimetres are expected in the Gaspe Monday.
Environment Canada expects the snow will stay on the ground for part of the week.
“The rain will not be significant enough to melt all the snow and also, temperatures will plummet after,” said Environment Canada meteorologist Serge Mainville. “We can now talk about the real start of winter. It’ll will be here for everyone!”
With a file from The Canadian Press
