Snowstorm rolls into Quebec

Quebec authorities are warning residents in the province's eastern region to be prepared for a major snowstorm rolling alongthe coast.

Environment Canada issued weather warnings for the Gasp Peninsula region, Lower North Shore and Magdalen Islands, where high winds, snow and rain are creating very difficult conditions.

In Atlantic Canada, the storm triggered power outages and transportation delaysMonday.

'Slow down and be very, very careful. Be well-equipped if you do go with your car.' Transport Qubec spokesman Ral Grgoire

Between 20 and 50 centimetres of snow are expected to fall on Quebec's eastern region by the end of Tuesday.

Gale-force winds as high as 90 km/h were also expected to hit the area, affecting visibility.

Quebecers are no strangers to bad winter weather, but it is still cause for worry, said resident Diane Miller, whose husband is set to drive back to the Gasp from Rimouski on Monday.

"His drive will be fairly treacherous, so I'm not sure if he'll get home today or not," she said in a phone interview.

Transport Qubec warned that snow-covered roadscreate dangerous driving conditions.

Trucks are plowing major roads and spreading abrasives, but the agency is urging people to put off non-essential driving until the storm passes.

If people must drive "slow down and be very, very careful," said Transport Qubec spokesman Ral Grgoire. "Be well-quipped if you do go with your car."

Much of the region is still recovering from torrential rains that dumped more than 240 millimetres across the peninsula in mid-December.

The currentstorm originated in the United States, where a low-pressure system caused a blizzard-like conditions that knocked out much of the transportation grid in the U.S. northeast.