15 to 25 cm of snow expected in Montreal by Saturday
Ready your shovels: snow is blanketing Montreal and surrounding areas, with 15 to 25 centimetres expected by Saturday afternoon.
Light and blowing snow fell throughout the morning, with snowfall becoming heavier in the evening, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).
"We're dealing with a very slow-moving system. It’s actually, we’re on the battlefield between two systems so that’s why we have this long-lasting snow," said Environment Canada meteorologist Marie-Eve Giguere.
The temperature will hover around the 0 C mark throughout the day.
Montreal's snow clearing crews are on standby. The city has a budget of $187 million to clean its road network and spokesperson Philippe Sabourin said the trucks are ready to hit the road.
"If we ever reach 15 centimetres, we will call the loading operation. And then we will need 3,000 employees and I assure you we have enough stuff, staff, and enough trucks to complete the operation," Sabourin said.
It's no small feat:
"We have 10,000 km to take care of. That’s the distance between Montreal and Beijing," he said.
#WestIsland of #Montreal right now. #Wind gusts up to 50km/h will causing blowing #snow & reduce visibility. #SnowfallWarning in effect for 15-20cm @CTVMontreal
ECCC is cautioning drivers to be extra vigilant on the roads.
At least two vehicles veered into ditches before 8 a.m. Friday morning on Highway 15, one heading north and the other south.
LISTEN ON CJAD 800 RADIO: What to expect from the city's first major snow storm of the year
Another vehicle drove into a ditch going west the Trans-Canada highway near Route Harwood.
No schools in Montreal closed for snow days.
A snowfall warning was issued early Friday morning for the Island of Montreal, Longueuil-Varennes, Laval and Châteauguay-La Prairie areas.
MONTREAL STORM WATCH
- Environment Canada weather alerts - southern Quebec
- STM bus line status
- Metro service updates
- Montreal-Trudeau Airport Departures | Arrivals
- Exo commuter train status
- Via rail trains status
- City of Montreal snow removal, parking, towing
- Free parking spots
- My car was towed
- Laval snow removal operations
- Longueuil snow removal operations
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada's inflation cools to 2% in August, the smallest gain since early 2021
Canada's annual inflation rate reached the central bank's target in August at it cooled to 2 per cent, its lowest level since February 2021, data showed on Tuesday.
BREAKING Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been indicted on sex trafficking and racketeering charges
Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been charged with sex trafficking and racketeering, according to a federal indictment unsealed Tuesday.
Byelection results: Justin Trudeau handed his second byelection upset in recent months
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been handed his second byelection upset in recent months, as the Bloc Quebecois won LaSalle-Emard-Verdun, Que., a longtime Liberal seat in Montreal.
Ontario man who almost fell for text scam issues warning to others
An Ontario man thought he got some good news when he received a text message offering a $30 gift for being a loyal Giant Tiger customer. 'I do go to that store so I clicked on the link and it said it was a customer appreciation award they were going to give people,' Mark Martin, of Simcoe, Ont., told CTV News Toronto.
A key employee who called the Titan unsafe testifies the company only wanted to make money
A key employee who labelled a doomed experimental submersible unsafe prior to its last, fatal voyage testified Tuesday that he frequently clashed with the company's co-founder and felt the company was committed only to making money.
GoFundMe cancels fundraiser for Ontario woman charged with spraying neighbour with a water gun
A Simcoe, Ont., woman charged with assault with a weapon after accidentally spraying her neighbour with a water gun says GoFundMe has now pulled the plug on her online fundraiser.
This airport landing is so challenging only 50 pilots are qualified to do it
Bhutan's Paro International Airport (PBH) is widely considered one of the most technically difficult plane landings in the world. Maneuvering onto a short runway between two 18,000-foot peaks requires both technical knowledge and nerves of steel.
'Not that simple': Trump drags Canadian river into California's water problems
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump promised "more water than you ever saw" to Californians, partly by tapping resources from a Canadian river.
Toxic chemicals used in food preparation leach into human bodies, study finds
More than 3,600 chemicals that leach into food during the manufacturing, processing, packaging and storage of the world's food supply end up in the human body — and some are connected to serious health harms, a new study found.