Strong winds, heavy rain and heavy snowfall have forced a number of schools to be closed, homes unable to access electricity and many flights across Canada were canceled on Friday, December 23 2022. Winter storms have occurred in almost all parts of Canada, causing authorities to warn residents to be in the indoor area because the condition may worsen in the future.
The winter storm in Canada is the impact of the freezing weather system that is currently happening in the United States ahead of the Christmas holidays. This condition has thwarted travel plans and more than one million homes and business activities without power supply.
The winter storm is expected to affect two-thirds of Canadians as it moves to two of the more densely populated provinces, such as Ontario and Quebec. Canadian environmental meteorologist Steve Flisfeder said the winter storm was moving into the Canadian Atlantic.
“Every winter we expect a storm, but this time it was quite significant. We're seeing different kinds of weather differences leading to different impacts, affecting very large populations over short-term periods," said Flisfeder.
Based on U.S. Global Change Research Program, winter storms have increased in frequency and intensity in the last 70 years. This happens because of climate change, where more water on earth evaporates to make the atmosphere warm, then rainfall falls which is quite high overall.
Canada's second largest airline, WestJet Airlines, has canceled all flights in the capital Toronto, Ottawa and the province of Quebec due to bad weather. The largest airline in Canada, Air Canada, also warned of the possibility of aircraft delays and flight cancellations.