In pictures: historic snowstorm hits Toronto, southern Ontario, Quebec, and US

A historic snowstorm has left much of Ontario, Quebec, and parts of the US under record amounts of snow.

Torontonians dug out their skis and snowshoes to get out and enjoy the snow left by the storm in what some are calling a "once in a decade" event.

A city bus is pictured stuck on January 17th, in downtown Toronto after a major blizzard dumped as much as 60cm of snow on parts of Southern Ontario.

According to CBC News, the City of Toronto declared a "major snowstorm condition" on Monday so that snow removal crews could clear the snow-clad streets.

Mayor John Tory clarified that the declaration means that parking on snow routes in the city is forbidden for 72 hours minimum.

The snow routes are mainly in the downtown core area and include all streetcar routes. Drivers beware because parking in the forbidden zones could result in a $200 fine!

The mayor of Toronto declared a "major snowstorm condition" due to the high quantity of snow that fell on the southern-Ontario city on Monday.

Tory said that the declaration was put in place for the safety of the city residents, telling reporters on Monday afternoon, "I will just say that we are doing our best in a challenging situation that is more challenging than normal."

By two o'clock in the afternoon on Monday, January 17th, the city had received an impressive 36 cm of snow per the Ontario Storm Prediction centre.

At Toronto Pearson International Airport, a new daily record for January 17th was broken, with 32 cm snowfall per Environment Canada. A massive increment to the previous daily snowfall record for Jan. 17th of just 7.6 cm in 1994.

According to Environment Canada, Toronto has not been hit so hard by a snowstorm since 2019, when 25 cm fell in one day, and 2008 when the city received 30 cm of snow.

The rest of the province of Ontario has also been hit by impressive snowfall, with the country's capital Ottawa receiving an even more outstanding 48 cm of snow.

Photo: screenshot CTV News

However, according to reports by The Weather Network, the Niagara and Hamilton (pictured) regions and Eastern Ontario were the hardest hit by the snowstorm.

Photo: Screenshot The Weather Network, YouTube

Oshawa was hit with 55cm of the white stuff, St. Catharines with 50cm, and Hamilton received 41cm of snowfall.

Pictured: snowfall in St. Catharines, Ontario

Photo: screenshot, YouTube

Monday's snowfall surely delighted Canadian children but frustrated their parents. January 17th was meant to be the first day of Ontario's school reopening plan.

After two weeks of online lessons following the winter holidays, students in the province were meant to return to school for in-person classes. However, due to the winter storm, many schools in the province remained closed.

Photo: screenshot Global News

Southern Quebec was also hit by the snowstorm, with Gatineau receiving the brunt of the snowfall. Highways were shut down south of Montreal due to poor conditions.

The city of Montreal was forecast to receive up to 30 cm of snow, and students in the city also enjoyed a snow day like Ontario students.

According to the BBC, this winter storm has also affected the United States, with 145,000 people left without power in some south-eastern states.

Following the US National Weather Service's (NWS) announcement that more than 30cm of snow was expected in some areas, Virginia, Georgia, North, and South Carolina all declared states of emergency.

The NWS warned that the snow and ice could cause "dangerous travel, power outages, and tree damages." In addition, New York City and parts of Connecticut were warned of the possibility of coastal flooding that could affect roads and infrastructure.