Winter storm to cause travel nightmare in Canada

A winter storm currently billed as a “major weather event” is expected to hit parts of eastern and central Canada late this evening and will continue throughout the day tomorrow, likely resulting in hundreds of flight cancellations and delays. Travelers planning on catching a flight set to depart from Pierre Trudeau Airport in Montreal, MacDonald-Laurier Airport in Ottawa and Lester B. Pearson, as well as the City Centre Airport in Toronto are well advised to check ahead of time, in order to confirm any major delays or cancellations.

All of southern Ontario is currently under a winter storm watch. Environment Canada is predicting snow, ice pellets and freezing rain throughout the evening and until late tomorrow afternoon. Snowfall is likely to exceed 15 centimeters in much of southern Ontario, while Torontonians can expect 10 centimeters.

Travelers planning on flying out of Toronto in the morning are advised to visit the Greater Toronto Airport Authority’s website (www.gtaa.com) for live flight arrival and departure information, while those flying out from MacDonald Airport in Ottawa are also being urged to consult the hub’s website (www.ottawa-airport.ca ), in order to find out about likely delays and cancellations, widely anticipated throughout the day.

In addition to major snowfall, rain and gusting winds in southern Ontario, southwestern Quebec will also feel the effects of this late winter storm. Domestic and transborder flights departing from the Trudeau Airport (www.admtl.com ) are most likely to be effected, while international, transatlantic flights may still operate according to schedule, as these tend to depart in the evening.