Quebec and eastern Ontario were slammed with a nasty mix of snow, rain and wind Monday, leaving thousands without power as a fierce spring storm barrelled up from the U.S. eastern seaboard.

Snowfall and high winds knocked tree branches down in Quebec City Monday morning.
(CBC)

More than 100,000 Quebec households still don't have electricity, as heavy winds and wet snow knocked out sections of the province's power grid.

In eastern Ontario, more than 20,000 customers were without power as of noon Monday, with blackouts reported in Kingston, Brockville, Perth, Winchester and Vankleek Hill.

The worst-hit areas include Quebec's Lanaudière and Laurentian regions. Blackouts were also reported in Gatineau, Quebec City, Laval, Montreal, the Eastern Townships and the Outaouais.

Hydro-Québec was forced to cut power in some areas in order to complete repair work on damaged lines, said spokeswoman Flavie Côté.

"There are some times when our teams have to go on site and create a secure zone to be able to work on the distribution system, which means no electricity will go through the lines for a certain period of time," she told CBC.

The massive spring storm also forced several Quebec schools to close for the day, including Lanaudière and Laurentian area schools in the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board.

Other schools closed on Monday include Joliette elementary and high schools in Lanaudière, Rawdon elementary and middle schools, Franklin Hill Elementary in Repentigny, Morin Heights Elementary and Ste-Agathe elementary and high schools.

Significant accumulation in the forecast

Between 15 and 25 centimetres of wet and heavy snow are expected to fall in Cornwall and Prescott, Ont., according to Environment Canada.

In Ottawa, members of Parliament returning from a two-week Easter break will be greeted by 30 to 50 millimetres of rain and snow.

In Montreal and southern Quebec, between 12 and 20 centimetres of slushy snow fell overnight, according to Environment Canada, with more to come in the Laurentians and Lanaudière.

Quebec City, meanwhile, had wind warnings for northeasterly gusts that were expected to blast at up to 90 km/h Monday, with five to 10 centimetres of wet snow expected before the day's end.

The wet snow is causing significant water accumulation on highways, and Transport Quebec officials are warning drivers to slow down and allow for extra braking time.

Storm echoes in Maritimes

The snow won't push into the Maritimes, although New Brunswick is expected to get 60 millimetres of rain and some strong winds.

As well, a storm surge warning is in effect for an area stretching from Halifax to Yarmouth. 

The storm coming into Canada made its way through the eastern United States from New York, which was bombarded by rain Sunday.

At least one person died and hundreds of flights were cancelled along the U.S. eastern seaboard Sunday as a result of the storm.

That's on top of the five deaths blamed on the same storm system as it swept through the Plains on Friday and Saturday.

Authorities in South Carolina said one person was killed and four seriously injured when high winds damaged dozens of homes in Sumter County.

Airlines cancelled more than 500 flights at the New York area's three major airports.

The storm also forced the cancellation of five major league baseball games.

More than 140 millimetres of rain had fallen in the New York region by Sunday night and up to 150 millimetres more was predicted to fall by the morning.

Authorities warn that high tide is likely to bring coastal flooding on Long Island, where falling tree limbs have cut off power to 1,500 households.