Author: Rachael Parkins

Ontario and Quebec
Both provinces are expecting a major winter storm starting today and lasting until Saturday. Visibility may be reduced to zero at times due to expected wind gusts of up to 90 km/h causing widespread blowing snow. With the snowfall amount expected to be 5-15cm by Saturday morning, and flash freezing producing icy conditions, there are possibilities of utility outages. We are monitoring the conditions by the hour. Customers should anticipate delays with pickups and deliveries across the GTA & GMA.

British Columbia
A Pacific frontal system combined with the cold Arctic airmass over B.C. is bringing another round of snow to the South Coast this morning. Hazardous winter conditions are expected, including heavy snow, freezing rain, and heavy rainfall, starting today and lasting into Saturday. Travel conditions will be challenging due to this weather, and localized strong winds will bring the windchill values down to -15. Customers should anticipate delays with pickups and deliveries.

Alberta / Saskatchewan / Manitoba
Extremely cold wind chill values between -40 and -50 will moderate in most regions later today. Temperatures will be very cold again tonight in some areas in Northern Alberta. Temperatures are expected to be milder for the entire province by the end of this weekend. Delays should be anticipated for all pickups and deliveries across the region.

New Brunswick / Nova Scotia
Rain, heavy at times is expected.
Total rainfall: 30 to 50 mm with higher amounts locally.

PEI
Strong winds that may cause damage are expected with wind gusts anticipated to reach up to 90 km/h. Delays should be anticipated for all pickups and deliveries across the island.

Newfoundland
Strong winds and a wintry mix of precipitation are expected on Christmas Eve in western, central, and eastern Newfoundland. Wind gusts of 80 km/h(up to 140 km/h along areas of the west coast) are expected overnight and into Saturday evening.

Marine Atlantic
Marine Atlantic advises customers that due to impending weather conditions the following changes have been made to our schedule:
• North Sydney to Port aux Basques Friday, December 23, 2022 at 2315 is now scheduled to depart Saturday, December 24, 2022 at 2315.
• Port aux Basques to North Sydney Friday, December 23, 2022 at 2330 is now scheduled to depart Saturday, December 24, 2022 at 2330.
• North Sydney to Port aux Basques Saturday, December 24, 2022 at 1145 is now scheduled to depart Saturday, December 24, 2022 at 2315.
• Port aux Basques to North Sydney Saturday, December 24, 2022 at 1145 is now scheduled to depart Saturday, December 24, 2022 at 2330.

Please see below for our latest weather alerts that may be affecting our services. Customers should anticipate delays due to these weather-related incidents, and any updates will be provided as they become available.

British Columbia

There is an expected snowfall accumulation of 10-15cm today in Metro Vancouver, Sunshine Coast, Gibsons to Earls Cove, and East Vancouver Island – Nanoose Bay to Fanny Bay. Snow is predicted to taper off near noon on Vancouver Island, and later this afternoon on the mainland side.

An additional 5-10cm is expected from this evening into Wednesday morning for the southern sections of the Strait of Georgia, from Victoria to Qualicum Bay and near Sechelt.

Terminal Operations remain closed at this time and will resume once it is safe to do so.

Customers should anticipate delays of 24-48 hours.

Alberta
Extremely cold wind chill values of -40 and colder will continue through this week in Calgary and Edmonton. The coldest wind chill values will occur overnight and in the early morning hours. A warming trend is expected by the weekend.

Saskatchewan
Saskatoon & Regina are experiencing extremely cold wind chills of -40 to -50. This period of extreme cold values is expected to continue through the week, and to moderate by the weekend.

Ontario
Precipitation in Toronto may begin as rain or snow late Thursday before possibly transitioning to rain in many areas early Friday. Temperatures are expected to plummet on Friday leading to a potential flash freeze for locations that receive rainfall. Rapidly falling temperatures will be accompanied by strong to potentially damaging winds along with snow that may be heavy at times. Blizzard conditions are possible late Friday into the weekend for areas downwind of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay.

A multi-day lake effect snow event is expected into the weekend in the wake of the system for locations east of the Great Lakes. While there is high confidence in a high-impact winter storm, the details regarding wind speeds, precipitation types and amounts remain highly uncertain at this time. Please monitor your local forecast and the latest alerts for your area.

Quebec
An intense low-pressure system will move into the province of Quebec on Thursday evening and affect the province until Saturday. Significant snowfall amounts, strong winds and blowing snow are expected over areas north of the St Lawrence River, while over the areas to the south, some of the precipitation will fall as rain. Freezing rain is likely in the snow-to-rain transition area. As there is some uncertainty as to the system’s track, it is still too early to provide details regarding expected precipitation amounts. Please monitor your local forecast and the latest alerts for your area.

Moreover, beginning on Friday, there will be a run of large tidal amplitudes. The possibility of a storm surge will have to be monitored from Quebec City to the east.

On Saturday afternoon, in the wake of the system, snow squalls will also be possible over southern parts of the province with the passage of cold air over the Great Lakes. The arrival of this cold air will see temperatures drop below seasonal values on Sunday and early next week.

Please see below for our latest weather alerts that may be affecting our services. Customers should anticipate delays due to these weather-related incidents, and any updates will be provided as they become available.

British Columbia
Due to a low-pressure system landing in Washington State this evening, the southern part of British Columbia is expecting another round of snow. The outflow winds will result in heavier snowfall of up to 15-20cm in Victoria, Malahat Highway, Southern Gulf Islands, Lake Cowichan, Port Renfrew, and East Vancouver Island from Duncan to Fanny Bay. Snow is expected to taper off by late Tuesday morning on Vancouver Island, and Tuesday afternoon on the mainland side.

Saskatchewan
Extremely cold wind chill values of -40 are expected to continue this morning, and throughout the week in Alberta; especially overnight and during the early hours of the morning. A warming trend is anticipated by the weekend.

Manitoba
The western half of Canada, especially the prairies, is dealing with temperatures of -30 to -40 due to an atmospheric shift that has brought in a piece of the polar vortex.

New Brunswick
A snowfall of 15-25cm is expected over the next 36 hours in southeastern New Brunswick. As the snow continues into Tuesday, it may result in a mixture of rain near the coast.

Newfoundland
St. John’s and Avalon Peninsula North are expecting a heavy rainfall of 40-60mm and high-elevation snow of up to 10cm continuing into this evening.

Ontario:
Environment Canada has issued a winter weather travel advisory which will remain in effect for snow this afternoon. Freezing rain possibly mixed with ice pellets is expected this morning before transitioning to snow early this afternoon. Customers should anticipate some delays with Terminal operations as the system moves through the area. For road conditions and other traveller information from the Ministry of Transportation, visit https://www.ontario.ca/511

Manitoba / Saskatchewan:
A prolonged snow event continues over southeastern Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba with some local areas receiving upwards of 20-30 cm of snowfall. Accumulating snow is expected to taper off today for Saskatchewan. Terminal Operations, and movements to and from CN Rail will experience delays during this time. Customers should anticipate a potential 24-48 hour delay as the system moves through the area.

Quebec:
An accumulation of 15 to 20 cm of snow is expected from Friday morning to Saturday morning. We are monitoring this system closely and will continue to provide further updates as they become available.

New Brunswick:
We are currently monitoring a system moving into NB which is likely to produce significant snowfall this Saturday morning into Saturday night.

-Total snowfall: 10 to 20 cm.
-Maximum wind gusts: northeasterly 50 to 70 km/h.

Customers should anticipate some delays as the system moves through the area.
We will monitor the situation and provide updates as they become available.

Nova Scotia:
Please note that our terminal in Sydney, NS will be closed today. The storm that made its way through the province early Tuesday into Wednesday morning has resulted in thousands of outages for both homes and businesses in the area. Our operations will resume once it is safe to do so.

Marine Atlantic Ferry Closures:

Marine Atlantic advises customers that due to impending weather conditions the following departures have been cancelled:

-North Sydney to Port aux Basques on Thursday, December 15, 2022 at 1145.
-Port aux Basques to North Sydney on Thursday, December 15, 2022 at 1145.

Impacted passengers will be notified of their rescheduled departure time.

Manitoba / Saskatchewan:
Environment Canada has issued a prolonged snow event tracking over southeastern Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba. The event will begin Tuesday evening with some areas receiving upwards of 20-30 cm of snowfall. Terminal operations, and movements to and from CN Rail will experience delays during this time. Customers should anticipate a potential 24-48 hour delay as the system moves through the area.

Ontario / Quebec:
The slow-moving Colorado low will be approaching Ontario late this week, delivering significant snowfall, ice, rain and winds. There will be a risk of freezing rain in Southwestern Ontario to the west half of the GTA. Impactful weather is predicted to arrive Thursday in Southern Ontario and early Friday across southern Quebec. We are monitoring this system closely and will continue to provide further updates.

New Brunswick:
Please note that Moncton has received approximately 20cm of snow, and are still experiencing very strong winds. The snow is expected to taper off around 10:00am on December 14, and operations will commence once it is safe to do so. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as they become available. 

Nova Scotia:
Please note that our terminal in Sydney, NS will be closed today, due to weather conditions. We will provide updates once operations resume.

Marine Atlantic Ferry Closures:
Marine Atlantic advises our customers that due to impending weather conditions the following departures have been cancelled:
-North Sydney to Port aux Basques  Wednesday, December 14, 2022 at 2315.
-Port aux Basques to North Sydney  Wednesday, December 14, 2022 at 2330. 

Marine Atlantic advises our customers that due to impending weather conditions we anticipate a potential impact to the following departures:
-North Sydney to Port aux Basques  Thursday, December 15, 2022 at 1145.
-Port aux Basques to North Sydney  Thursday, December 15, 2022 at 1145. 

We continue to monitor the marine forecast and will provide up-to-date information as soon as it becomes available.

Manitoba / Saskatchewan:
Environment Canada has issued a prolonged snow event tracking over southeastern Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba. The event will begin Tuesday evening with some areas receiving upwards of 20-30 cm of snowfall. Terminal operations, and movements to and from CN Rail will experience delays during this time. Customers should anticipate a potential 24-48 hour delay as the system moves through the area.

Ontario / Quebec:
The slow-moving Colorado low will be approaching Ontario late this week, delivering significant snowfall, ice, rain and winds. There will be a risk of freezing rain in Southwestern Ontario to the west half of the GTA. Impactful weather is predicted to arrive Thursday in Southern Ontario and early Friday across southern Quebec. We are monitoring this system closely and will continue to provide further updates.

New Brunswick:
Central Eastern NB is expecting 15-20 cm of snow on December 13, which at times will be very heavy. Snow will end near noon on Wednesday, December 14. We are anticipating delays of 24-48 hours as this system moves through.

Marine Atlantic Ferry Closures:
Marine Atlantic advises our customers that due to impending weather conditions the following departures have been cancelled:

-North Sydney to Port aux Basques Tuesday, December 13, 2022 at 1230 and 2315.
-Port aux Basques to North Sydney Tuesday, December 13, 2022 at 1145 and 2330.

Marine Atlantic advises our customers that due to impending weather conditions we anticipate a potential impact to the following departures:

-North Sydney to Port aux Basques Wednesday, December 14, 2022 at 1145 and 2315.
-Port aux Basques to North Sydney Wednesday, December 14, 2022 at 1145 and 2330.

We are continuing to monitor the marine forecast and will provide up to date information as soon as it becomes available.

Weather Canada has issued an alert for significant snowfall and high winds in NB from Wednesday December 13th into Thursday December 14th 2022. We are monitoring this weather system closely and will continue to provide updated information as it is received.

Please note that delays of 24-48 hours may be possible in Moncton, we will continue to monitor and provide any updates once they become available.

Please note that delays are expected on Oceanex and Marine Atlantic deliveries into Newfoundland due to the bad weather conditions. Customers can expect delays between 24-48 hours, as we work through backlog once the units are released to us. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide any updates as they become available.

Please note that customers can expect delays between  24-48 hours, as there will be no pick-ups or deliveries from our Montreal terminal due to a power outage. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide any updates as they become available.