Montreal

By the numbers: A look at Montreal's debilitating storm

A large swath of Quebec was paralyzed by a late winter blizzard earlier this week. Here's a look at some memorable numbers.

With 100s left stranded on Highway 13, 200 buses stuck in snow, it's hard to believe spring is 4 days away

The great dig-out has begun following a late-winter blizzard that dumped more than 40 centimetres of snow on Montreal. (Charles Contant/CBC)

A large swath of Quebec was paralyzed by a late winter blizzard on Tuesday and Wednesday. Here's a look at some memorable numbers.

How many centimetres of snow fell on the city?

In the end, around 40 centimetres of snow fell in Montreal.

Vehicle owners in Montreal's Saint-Henri neighbourhood spent much of Thursday morning digging out. (Alexandre Letendre/CBC)

How many people were stranded overnight on Highway 13?

Around 300 vehicles, including two STM buses, were trapped overnight on Highway 13 when the road was blocked after a collision with a tractor-trailer. Although the exact number of occupants of those vehicles is unknown, there were far more than 300.

Dozens of drivers were trapped overnight on Highway 13. Some of them ran out of gas and their vehicles had to be towed on Wednesday morning. (Simon-Marc Charron/Radio-Canada)

How long were people on Highway 13 stranded?

Some of them were on the road for at least 12 hours. The road closed around 6 p.m. on Tuesday, and first responders didn't help to reopen it until 4:30 a.m. It wasn't until hours later that the highway was totally clear.

It took crews hours to clear Highway 13 in Montreal on Wednesday following the storm. (Alexandre Letendre/CBC)

How many STM buses were stuck across Montreal?

About 200 STM buses were stuck. On Wednesday morning, the STM was recommending people take the Metro, which for the most part ran smoothly.

Montrealers pitch in to push an STM out of the snow at Côte-Vertu Metro station Tuesday evening. (submitted by Andrew Taal)

How many Montrealers does it take to push a snowbound STM bus?

A group of 20 Montrealers helped push not one, but two STM buses that were stuck in snow at Côte-Vertu Metro station Tuesday night, in the middle of the snowstorm. 

An STM bus was stuck in the snow and abandoned near Côte-Vertu Boulevard. (Antoni Nerestant/CBC)

How many days will it take to clean up in Montreal?

City officials are estimating it'll take at least six days to clear up the mountains of snow dumped on the city.

The snow-clearing process began on Wednesday night and is expected to take at least six days. (Charles Contant/CBC)

How many days until spring? 

There are four days before spring arrives. Let's hope the snow disappears quickly.

Yes, those are snowdrops in bloom next door in Kitchener, Ont., on Feb. 22. Hard to believe, but spring is just around the corner. (Colin Butler/CBC)