Quebec City, Charlevoix slammed by heavy snow while Montreal escapes worst

The Montreal area has been spared the worst but a winter storm is pummelling the province further north.

A winter storm warning is in effect Tuesday morning for theQuebec City region with heavy snowfall and high winds expected.

Between 10 and 20 centimetres of snow are expected in the area by Wednesday, according to Environment Canada.

Two Quebec City schools closed for the day and some flights were cancelled at Jean-LesageAirport.

The city's police department says itresponded to 10 collisions between during the morning rush hour, but there were no major injuries.

Further north, the Charlevoix was the hardest hit by the storm, whichcould dump as much as 70 centimetres on theregion by Wednesday.

The Charlevoix school board closed schools Tuesday as snow quickly accumulated.

Three schools were also shut in theLanaudireregion:JolietteElementary,JolietteHigh School andRawdonElementary. Daycare will be open to regular users and school staff are expected to show up for work.

The snowfall warning for Montreal and Laval regions ended just before 5 a.m., though it was still falling in the region,lightly accumulating on the streets and sidewalks throughout the morning.

Forecasters had originally said southern Quebec could get as much of 25 centimetres of snow, but that number dropped significantly by morning.