Multi-vehicle accidents trigger road closures as winter storm pummels Quebec

With a major snowstorm continuing to batter regions across Quebec, provincial police say there have been manyaccidents, including pileups involving dozens of vehicles that forced Transports Qubec to close some highways on Montreal's South Shore.

There were pileups on three different highways involving a total of more than 70 cars, startingaround 11:30 a.m.,according to provincial police.

The westbound lanes of Highway 20 wereclosed for more than two hours after three separate pileups,Transports Qubecwrote on Twitter.

The westbound lanes ofHighway 30 were alsoclosed in Saint-Constant, atRang Rgis, after a crash involving about 40 vehicles, police said. Eight people suffered minor injuries.

A pileup along the eastbound lanes of Highway 10 by Carignan was also reported by provincial police.

The roads have now all been cleared andreopened.

Transports Qubec reported little to no visibility on many roads across the province, and people were being advised to stay home and off the roads when possible.

"We expect poor visibility conditions because of the heavy snow and winds that will cause blowing snow," saidEnvironment Canada meteorologist Jean-Philippe Bgin."We expect blowing snow everywhere."

Postal service halted

Canada Post also issued a rare red service alert for the entire province. In a statement on its website, the Crown corporation said postal carriers would not be delivering mail and packages Monday, as"inclement weather and snow have made it unsafe."

It said the service disruption noticewon't be lifted until it's deemed safe for Canada Post workers to head back out onto the roads and sidewalks.

Major school boards and service centres across Quebecshut down schools for the day, though some opted to carry on withonlinelearning. Schools had been scheduled toreturn to class Monday after a delayed post-holiday start due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The storm isthe result of a low-pressure system travelling north from the U.S. Eastern Seaboard; itcomesafter much of Quebec has experienced extreme cold temperatures for the past several days.

On Saturday morning, temperatures dipped to 24 C in Montreal, which felt like a blistering 37 C with the wind chill factor. Abalmy high of3 C was expected for Monday.

Snow day for some kids

Jackie Rosenheksaid her children,Morgan and Ophelia, were supposed to go back to school and daycare on Monday, but the weather had other ideas.

"So instead of destroying the house, we're going to destroy the park," she said, laughing.

Rosenhek, who lives in Montreal, said that with the kids back in class, she'd expected toget back to a normal work schedule, but didn't mind an extra day together first.

"It's kind of nice to not have to manage everything all at once and just be like 'yeah, it's a snow day,'" she said. "This whole world is crazy, so just enjoy it."

Melissa Dernaucourt, also of Montreal,said she was happy her children didn't haveto grapple with online learning, and instead got to enjoy some time outdoors.

"We're trying to keep the little joys that we have and just make the best of a hard situation," she said.

Storm surge in the Gasp, North Shore regions

In addition to the snow, coastal areas in northeastern Quebec were also told to brace for astorm surge from the ocean.

Environment Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada issued a joint warning of potential breaking sea conditions and overwash water and sediment cresting along the shorelinehigher than usual due to anintense low-pressure system combined with strong winds and mid-range tides.

Areas including New Carlisle, Chandler, Forillon Park and the towns of Gasp and Perc in the Gasp region, as well as Sept-les and Port Cartier on the lower North Shore, were told to watch out for rising water along the coast until at least 4 p.m. Monday.

Environment Canada said high waves, combined with the storm surge, could cause damage in areas along the coast that are directly exposed.