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With the official start of spring less than a week away, Environment Canada said a major winter storm was set to pummel parts of northern Ontario and Quebec beginning Sunday afternoon and continuing through Monday.

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Those living in the Sault Ste. Marie and Timmins areas were getting hit the hardest with Environment Canada forecasting total snowfall accumulation of 40 to 80 cm. It also warned of northeasterly wind gusts of 70 to 80 km/h.

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The weather agency’s orange alert said that heavy snow and blowing snow could bring near-zero visibility at times and warned of possible power outages.

Road conditions could become “extremely hazardous” with “some routes will likely be impassable” and road closures possible, it said.

“Snow will develop from Chapleau through Timmins this afternoon,” Environment Canada said, adding that, “there is a chance that freezing rain or ice pellets could mix in for areas along a line from Sault Ste. Marie to Kirkland Lake, reducing their total snowfall amounts.”

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The weather agency also said roofs are “at an increased risk of collapse under the weight of snow.”

In Toronto and parts of southwestern Ontario, Environment Canada issued a special weather statement forecasting a patchy winter mix of high winds, freezing rain and snow that could extend into Monday and Tuesday.

Parts of northern Quebec affected

In Quebec, communities from the La Sarre area west to the Miquelon-Desmaraisville area will be hit the hardest by the late-winter storm, with Environment Canada forecasting 30 to 50 cm of snow with freezing rain possible.

The storm is forecasted to be less severe heading east in Quebec, with the town of Chibougamau forecasted to be hit with 20 to 40 cm of snow before the storm tapers off on Tuesday morning.

— with files from The Canadian Press

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