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A man walks with an umbrella down a snow covered path at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, January 2, 2012.

A blast of winter is wreaking havoc in Ontario and Eastern Canada, causing flight delays and cancellations, and icy road conditions.

Across Ontario, police reported numerous weather-related collisions.

Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Dave Woodford says calls were coming in at a rate of about one a minute during the height of the morning rush.

Sgt. Woodford says no serious injuries were reported in the more than 140 collisions his officers responded to on GTA highways between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m.

Highway 401 eastbound in southwestern Ontario was closed at Drumbo by a six-vehicle collision but no serious injuries were reported.

GO Transit says it's dealing with numerous weather-related delays with many routes running 20 to 30 minutes late.

The City of Toronto issued an extreme cold weather alert Friday morning. advising homeless people to seek shelter and noting that the temperatures could be life-threatening. Alerts are issued when Environment Canada predicts a temperature of -15 C or lower, without wind chill.

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement covering southern Ontario from Windsor to Kingston and north to Midland.

The City of Toronto also issued an extreme cold weather alert Friday morning. advising homeless people to seek shelter and noting that the temperatures could be life-threatening. Alerts are issued when Environment Canada predicts a temperature of -15 C or lower, without wind chill.

Forecasters say arctic air blasting into the region will generate lake effect flurries today and tonight, covering roads already slippery from overnight rains.

Areas covered by the watch are expected to get between three and 15 centimetres of snow.

Motorists are warned to be prepared for hazardous winter driving conditions from blowing snow and accumulating snow on untreated roads.

On the east coast, heavy snowfall overnight caused flight delays and cancellations this morning at the Moncton, Saint John and Halifax airports.

Environment Canada says Moncton had the largest amount of snow, with about 19 centimetres, while Saint John received 17 centimetres.

Most of the rest of the Maritimes received between 10 and 12 centimetres.

The snow was shifting into rain in Nova Scotia this morning, and into freezing rain and ice pellets in southern New Brunswick, making for slippery driving conditions.

A 57-year-old woman died Thursday evening after her car slid off the road during a snowstorm in southern New Brunswick.

RCMP Cpl. Graham Milner says the woman went off the road in snowy and icy conditions on Ketchum Road in the community of Kingston.

He says the accident occurred at about 6:30 p.m. Thursday

Nova Scotia Power reported several hundred customers lost electricity early in the morning in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.

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