A major storm system that hit Ontario and Quebec left downed trees and people without power Thursday morning.

The relentless storm covered the two provinces in freezing rain late Wednesday and continued eastward towards Canada's Atlantic coast. At the storm’s peak, Environment Canada issued warnings to five provinces due to the mix of precipitation and dangerous conditions.

The system started in Manitoba, dumping roughly 15 centimetres of snow on southern communities, closing schools and highways, before travelling into northwestern Ontario by early Wednesday.

The storm changed over to freezing rain for portions of Ontario, leaving Ottawa covered in about 38.5 millimetres of ice, which brought down trees and left tens of thousands without power.

The ice storm also left one million Quebec households without power, with Hydro-Quebec estimating that it could take up to 36 hours to restore power in some areas.

On Thursday morning, officials said one-third of the customer base should have power restored within 24 hours. The issues are concentrated in the Montreal area.

Here are some photos of the Colorado low storm system that continues to impact many communities across Canada: 

A fallen tree lies on top of a car

 

 

car after a tree came down

 

 

Ice drips from light fixtures

Icicles drip from a bicycle

 

@tylercarrfm ��❄️��❄️ #winnipeg #manitoba #canada #winnipegmanitoba #snow #wpg #mb ♬ original sound - Tyler Carr