Snow storm closes roads, halts ferry service in E. Quebec
Thursday, January 10, 2019, 1:01 PM - The first major winter storm of 2019 brought much of eastern Quebec to a standstill on Thursday.
More than 40 centimetres of snow fell overnight in the Gaspé region, while the North Shore received closer to 20 centimetres.
Wind gusts reached 90 kilometres an hour near Rimouski. The province's Transport Ministry closed several major highways because of the harsh weather conditions.
A 450-kilometre stretch of Highway 132 on the Gaspé peninsula was closed for several hours, but has now been re-opened.
SEE ALSO: Ice chunk falls from sky and rips through Ontario home
Traffic on the North Shore, between Sept-Îles and Baie-Johan Beetz, was also halted. Small sections of the highway are slowly being re-opened to traffic.
For a second day in a row, the morning ferry connecting Matane to Godbout on the North Shore was cancelled.
Travellers will however be able to board the NM CTMA Vacancier at 2 p.m., in Matane.
Environment Canada is expecting a few more centimetres for eastern Quebec over the next 24 hours.
"The system is going to weaken slowly, but it's going to take some time," said meteorologist Simon Legault.
Meanwhile, snow clearing teams in Quebec City still have a lot of work in front of them. Around 25 centimetres of snow fell over the region over the past 48 hours.
