What you need to know about the holiday storm hitting eastern Ontario, western Quebec

With eastern Ontario hit with winter weather warnings because of a messy mix of precipitation and high winds that began Thursday night, here is a list of things you need to know including school closures, utility outages and updates from municipalities in the region.

Latest weather forecast

According to the latest update from Environment Canada Friday, the storm whichhitthe region Thursday evening will continue to bringsignificant precipitation through Saturday, though its form depends on where you live.

The agency says about five to 10 cm of snow will fall by Friday morning in Ottawa,and an additional five to 15 cm will come by Saturday.

• If the power or data on your device is low, get your storm updates onCBC Lite.It's our low-bandwidth, text-only website.

Temperatures are expected to rise along with rain into the afternoon, before temperatures plummetcreating the conditions for a potential flash freeze.Blowing snow will also developand continue into Saturday.

Strong winds are alsoexpected, and range from 70km/h in the Ottawa area to as high as 120 km/h in other parts of the region.

The agency has issued a blizzardwarning for areas surrounding Kingston and Brockville,warning those conditions will start Friday evening into Saturday. That region is expecting gusts of 100 to 120 km/h, and awhopping 20 to 40 centimetresof snowfall by Sunday.

Lake effect snow is forecast through the rest of the weekend, so it will likely be a white, but messyChristmas.

Hydro outages

As of about 4 p.m.Friday, Hydro Ottawa was reportingoutages in several parts of the cityaffecting about 4,300 customers. The utility said it had restored about 100,000 customers on Friday already.Checkthe outages map to see if your area is affected.

Crews have already restored power to over 100,000 customers throughout the night and into Friday afternoon, a release said.

Hydro Ottawa said standby crews have been arranged in 24-hour rotations to respond to any issues.

About 15,000 customers in Ottawa Valley communities were dealing with outages, according to a Hydro One outage map.

Hydro-Qubecsays more than 29,000 customers in theOutaouais are experiencing outages.

Ontario's Ministry of Transportation said it is preparing to keep roads as clear as possible during the snowfall. In a statement, the ministry said it has more than 1,100 pieces of equipment ready to be deployed.It also used anti-icing liquid proactively on roads in advance of winter storms.

School closures

Boards that have decided to close all schools, offices and programs in eastern Ontario are:

• Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.
• Ottawa Catholic School Board.
• Conseil des coles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario.
• Conseil des coles catholiques du Centre-Est.
• Conseil scolaire de district catholique de l'Est ontarien.
• Upper Canada District School Board.
• Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario.

Boards that have decided to close all schools, offices and programs in western Quebec are:

• Western Qubec School Board.
• Centre de services scolaire des Portages-de-l'Outaouais.

All city-run child-care centres in Ottawa will be closed as well.

Traffic and OC Transpo

OC Transpois reporting a power outagedisruptions atBayview Station, but trains are not affected. Shuttles are available for customers requiring access to the upper level.

The transit service says the LRT is running without delays, scheduled ParaTranspo trips are in service, and it's reducing the number of articulated buses on the road. It warns, however, extreme weather creates a higher volume of cancelled trips. People cantext 560560 or call 560-1000 for the most up-to-date status of their trips.

• Here's a list of detours, alerts from OC Transpo

The city is also reporting several traffic disruptionsacross Ottawa such astraffic signals not working due to power outages.

There were several collisions on highways 417 and 416 this morning, causing lane closures. For updates on closures and reopenings, check the Ministry of Transportation's traffic account here.

Municipal updates, parking bans

The City of Ottawa has declared a rare significant weather event aheadand warnsresidents it could take longer than usual to clear roads, sidewalks and bike lanes.

City hall and theMary Pitt Centre will remain open.

All City of Ottawa client service centres and counter services will be closed. The city advised people to visit ottawa.ca for information about how to obtain services remotely or online.

All city vaccination clinics, neighbourhood health hubs and dental clinics will close at 1 p.m.Friday, said Ottawa Public Health. The city's harm reduction mobile van will also cease service Fridayevening.

The city also said garbage and recycling collection is not expected to be impacted at this point.

A winter weather parking ban for Ottawa will last longer than most snow-related bans starting 10 a.m., Friday until 7 a.m., Saturday. Vehicles parked on the street during that period may be ticketed and towed.

On-street parking permit holders are exempt, but the city encouragesthem to find off-street parking to avoid getting snowed in by plows.

During the ban, off-street parking will be available at City of Ottawa recreation facilities and libraries. Some OC Transpo park-and-ride lots are also available. For a complete list of parking lot locations, check Ottawa.ca or biblioottawalibrary.ca.

The City of Gatineau has also issued a winter parking ban starting midnight Friday, until the notice is lifted.

Planes and trains

Westjet has cancelled 140 flights at five airports in Ontario and Quebec, affecting flights at Ottawa International Airport.

Some departuresout of the Ottawa airport and some arrivalshave been cancelled, while others are delayed, so make sure to check the airport'swebsite before heading out the door.

Close to noon Friday, Via Rail reported significant and minor delays for trains arriving in Ottawa from Toronto.

You can check the departures for Via Rail in case the storm affects travel times.

Recreation closures

All branches of the Ottawa Public Library will be closed Friday because of the storm.

The City of Ottawa said all its recreational and cultural facilities will be closed and drop-in activities, rentals and programs are cancelled.

Museums and galleries that will be closed in Ottawa Friday are:

• Canadian Museum of History.
• Canadian War Museum.
• Canadian Museum of Nature.
• Canada Aviation and Space Museum.
• Canada Agriculture and Food Museum.
• Canada Science and Technology Museum.
• National Gallery of Canada.
• Ottawa Art Gallery.