Heavy snow hits Montreal, causing poor road conditions and delays
Posted January 15, 2026 6:15 am.
Last Updated January 15, 2026 5:28 pm.
Montreal was hit with heavy snowfall Thursday morning, causing stress for many during their commutes on roads, highways, and public transit.
The precipitation began as rain, froze on the dry road and switched to snow around 5 a.m. With 10-15 centimetres falling, that made for slippery roads for drivers heading to work.
Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a yellow warning due reduced visibility for drivers.
“I slipped a couple of times and I had to just pump the brakes a couple of times,” said Natalie Twik.
“I’m driving like very slowly so I’m paying attention, but the conditions are very hard to drive today,” added delivery driver Abdel Kadir.
Drivers questioned if crews could have started clearing the roads earlier.
“It’s a little slippery, I think the snow clearing could be a little bit more,” said Scott Broadbent.
“It was a stressful drive, very stressful. The roads are very slick,” added Tony from Laval. “I would have wished the crews were out there earlier this morning putting salt.”
On De Lorimier Avenue near Sherbrooke Street, a delivery van was unable to move after being stuck under a sheet of ice.
“I parked and I tried to get closer and it’s like forget it, it’s all ice underneath,” said driver Norman Mychailiw. “Can’t move at all. The only place to go is backwards.”
One major accident was reported Thursday morning; a collision involving several vehicles forced the complete closure of a stretch of Route 132 westbound in Longueuil.
“Looking at this morning around six o’clock, there was an incident with multiple vehicles that had to be towed and that started the morning, put a lot of pressure on traffic and congestion,” said Louis-André Bertrand, a spokesperson for Transport Québec.
CAA-Québec was expected to have a busy day as a result.
“A normal day in the winter for CAA-Québec is around 2,200 services,” explained public affairs director Nicolas Ryan. “And on a day like today, with snow around 10-15 centimetres, we’re expecting around 2,700 calls for the day across the province.”
Snow was expected to resume later in the night, adding another two to four centimetres.
“Roads may remain slippery, especially on local roads, so caution is advised,” said Julien Pellerin, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.
The REM also had service disruptions throughout the morning between the McGill and Deux Montagnes stations and slowdowns from Brossard as unexpected freezing drizzle led to ice buildup on the overhead power lines which supply electricity to the trains. Shuttle buses were deployed to connect commuters between stations.
Temperatures were forecast to drop to minus-12 C, with wind chills falling to minus-20 C overnight.
“After today it’s going to be quiet until the end of the weekend, maybe light flurries, and it will be cold for the coming days,” said Pellerin. “Tonight and Friday morning will be chilly, but the weekend should be nice for winter activities.”
Friday brings lingering light snow in the morning before skies begin to clear. Gusty west winds ease later in the day, with temperatures holding near minus-11 C and wind chills remaining near minus–20 C. Cloudy periods return overnight with a low of minus–12 C.
Cloudy skies persist Saturday, with a 60 per cent chance of flurries and a high of minus–3 C. Skies clear overnight as temperatures dip to minus-6 C.
Flurries return Sunday, with a high near minus–2 C. Snow moves in overnight, bringing a low of minus–8 C.
Monday remains unsettled with flurries and a high of minus–6 C. Cloud cover continues into the night, along with a 60 per cent chance of flurries and a low of minus–14 C.
“Prepare for next week, temperatures will drop again,” warned Pellerin. “We won’t see records, but there will be brief returns of arctic air with daytime highs not rising above minus-10 C. Overall, the weekend will be mild.”
