Huge snow storm pushes into Canada

Canada's largest city, Toronto, is bracing itself for a big snowstorm after an intense blizzard grounded flights and shuttered schools across the Maritimes and the US.

Environment Canada warned Wednesday evening that drivers in Toronto should expect a slow, slippery commute Thursday as the storm dumps up to 15 cm of snow on the city. With the wind chill, temperatures will get down to -25 C, which could add to problems by creating delays across the city's aging transport system.

As much as 60cm (24in) was expected to fall in some areas by the end of Friday, blown about by heavy winds, from Quebec to Newfoundland.

Authorities closed a 200km (124 mile) section of the Trans-Canada Highway in Quebec.

The storm has been blamed for the deaths of more than two dozen people.

In the US, almost 450,000 people and businesses remained without power in the typically mild southern states on Friday, some for a third day, after the storm destroyed power lines and knocked down trees.

The weather system tapered off as it crawled farther north, but was still strong enough to bring almost 30cm of snow to areas of Quebec and parts of Newfoundland on Friday, with high winds of more than 60 mph (95km/h).

Other parts of the eastern provinces and Nova Scotia saw heavy rain from the same storm.

In eastern Quebec, several motorways, including the Trans-Canada Highway from Quebec City to Riviere-du-Loup, were partially shut after the snow and high winds dangerously hindered visibility.

Canadian weather officials have issued a number of winter storm warnings as another unrelated system is expected to bring severe weather to the Atlantic Provinces again on Saturday and Sunday.

The storm struck first on Wednesday in the US South, where it covered trees and power lines with as much as an inch of ice and caused traffic jams across the region.