MONTREAL--Quebec won’t be dodging the ferocious winter storm that is expected to wreak widespread havoc on Boston, New York and Toronto on Friday.

Environment Canada issued a blowing snow warning for Montreal and Laval, as winds rose to 60 km/h and mixed with 15 cm of snow that fell on the region, whipping up a white-out on highways.

Motorists navigated slippery roads and swirling winds during a tricky morning commute, which saw five cars seriously damaged in one or more rush hour crashes on Highway 15 bridge towards Laval.  

A 23-year-old woman was killed near Marieville in the Monteregie region at 8 a.m. when her car skidded and hit another vehicle on a curve on Highway 112. The 54-year-old woman driving the other also sustained injuries.

Accidents forced the closures of Highway 15 near St. Jerome and Highway 50 near Mirabel.

Accidents were also seen on Highway 10 near Chambly, Highway 30 near Ste-Catherine and on Highway 20 near Coteau-du-Lac.

Areas including Vaudreuil-Soulanges and Huntington were issued winter storm warnings that will likely leave residents digging out from as much as 25 cm of snow. 

Visibility was severely reduced around Montreal Friday afternoon, under temperatures of around -11 C.

Many flights to Boston and New York were cancelled, as parts of the eastern seaboard prepared to be buried under one of the largest-ever recorded snowfalls for those areas.

As of 10:30 a.m. Friday, about 28 arrivals and departures had been delayed or cancelled at Trudeau Airport.

Boston could be hit by a whopping 60 centimetres, while New York could receive about 15-25 cm. Toronto could be buried under 15 cm of snow, the most it has had since 2008.

The worst of the storm is expected to center on New England, where winds could hit up to 120 km/h. School has been cancelled and authorities fear mass power outages.

Sherbrooke and Gatineau, Quebec are expected to be buried under 20 snowy centimetres but other regions, such as Quebec City, are not expected to receive significant accumulation.