A “dangerous” winter storm sweeps across Canada, halting flights

Strong winds, icy rain and heavy snowfall caused the closure of schools in Canada, the cut off of electricity to homes and the cancellation of many flights after a severe winter storm swept across the country, prompting Canadian authorities to urge citizens to stay indoors before the weather gets worse.
About two-thirds of the Canadian population is expected to be affected by the storm, said Steve Flesveder, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, as it traverses the country’s two most populous regions, Ontario and Quebec, on its way to the Atlantic.
“Every winter season, we expect storms (but) this storm is big,” he said.
WestJet Airlines, Canada’s second largest airline, pre-emptively canceled all its flights at Toronto, Ottawa and Quebec airports due to inclement weather. Canada’s largest carrier, Air Canada, also warned of delays and cancellations.
Flight-tracking website FlightAware reported that nearly 320 flights, or nearly a third of all arrivals and departures scheduled for Friday, were canceled at Toronto’s Pearson Airport, Canada’s busiest airport, with another 200 flight delays.