Montrealers woke up Sunday morning to exactly what Environement Canada predicted. A major snowstorm.
Total snow accumulation in Montreal is expected to be 15 to 25 cm, but a northeast wind at 40 km/h, gusting to 70 even 90 in some areas is what's causing havoc on the roads and extreme cold temperatures. The wind chill as of Sunday afternoon was at -31.
Transport Quebec is asking you to stay off the roads and stay home if you do not need to be anywhere. If you must get from point A to point B they are asking you consider public transport. Meantime Environment Canada is warning those who need to be outside to cover all extremities as frostbite can happen within minutes in these conditions.
If you're flying out of the city on Sunday, make sure you check your flight status. As of 10a.m. about 70% of flights leaving Trudeau International Airport were cancelled or delayed.
Domestic flights and flights in and out of the U.S. were the most affected. If you're one of the lucky few heading down south to warmer temperatures no flights were cancelled as of 2:15p.m.
International flight were not affected as of Sunday afternoon as most fly out in the evbing when the snow is expected to taper down.
More than 1,550 flights were cancelled in and out of the U.S.
FlightAware, a flight tracking website, says nearly 1,500 flights were delayed Sunday in addition to the cancellations.
Boston Logan Airport was one of the hardest hit airports in the country. Just three flights were scheduled to depart from New Hampshire's Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. All flights out of Burlington International Airport were cancelled.