More snow on way after winter blasts

Canadians cleaning up after a series of snowstorms blasted through the country should hold on to their shovels, as forecasters predict some regions will soon be walloped by more winter weather.

Meanwhile, thousands were without electricity in Nova Scotia on Tuesday, and travellers across Canada faced airport delays.

In B.C., residents are bracing for around 10 to 20 centimetres of snow Tuesday night, just days after a storm dumped up to 70 centimetres onto the southern coast.

Environment Canada has issued storm warnings, or storm watches, for parts of Ontario, with strong winds and 20 cm of snow expected in the northern areas of Sault Ste. Marie, Wawa and Elliot Lake and more southern areas of Peterborough, Orillia and Kingston.

Although the power is back on for virtually all New Brunswickers after nearly 9,000 homes were in the dark following a major storm, forecasters predict more snow and some freezing rain in coming days.

Nova Scotia Power was reporting about 3,800 customers were without electricity Tuesday evening, down from about 14,000 in the afternoon and 60,000 at the crest of the outages, after powerful winds that peaked at 194 kilometres an hour in parts of the province toppled utility lines.

Bridge restrictions for P.E.I.

In P.E.I., plows were cleaning up the remnants of Monday's 20 cm of snowfall, which left around 15,000 people without power and forced the closure of the Confederation Bridge, which connects the Island to New Brunswick. Restrictions remain in place barring high-sided vehicles such as buses, trucks and trailers.

Only a handful of people on P.E.I. remained without power.

Cold weather continued to grip parts of Canada's West Coast, with cities like Prince George, Edmonton, Saskatoon and Regina recording temperatures of –25 C, –26 C, –35 C and –31C, respectively.

Snowplows in Montreal continued their round-the-clock cleanup after Sunday's big storm dumped 20 cm of snow, although the city doesn't expect to be able to clear it all before Christmas Day.

Air travellers were still coping with the havoc played on their departure plans. More than 300 flights were cancelled at Pearson International Airport in Toronto after a snowstorm swept through the region Friday. It caused flight cancellations and significant delays across the country.

About 3,000 people were forced to spend Sunday night at Vancouver International Airport due to delays and cancellations of most outbound flights.

The airlines there said they're adding more planes to deal with the backlog, but the delays could take days to clear up.

Forecasters are predicting Canada will have its first countrywide white Christmas since 1971.