Environment Canada issued weather statements about the strong winds and blowing snow affecting visibility. High winds, flash freeze leaves thousands without power in eastern Ontario and western QuebecTens of thousands of customers are without power and parts of Highway 401 were closed Tuesday morning as blasts of blowing snow hit the Ottawa-Gatineau area. Highway closures doneWestbound Highway 401 was closed because of crashes from Palace Road to Centre Street in the Napanee area until around 12:45 p.m. The eastbound 401 was closed near Odessa until around 10:30 a.m. because of what Ontario's transportation ministry (MTO) describes as "road conditions." This is in addition to the earlier… pic.twitter.com/LBrTZeSNHR —OPP_ERAround 7:30 a.m. the MTO listed much of Highway 15 and Highway 401 near Kingston as snow-covered, with poor visibility.

Source: CBC News March 17, 2026 16:00 UTC