A winter storm has dumped a record snowfall on Montreal, as it caused major disruptions in Eastern Ontario and parts of Quebec.

• CBC Weather

The storm – which was the first major one of the season in many areas – dropped 17 centimetres in and around Montreal in one hour alone on Friday.

Light snow continued on into the night as the buildup passed 41 centimetres.

More than 40 cm of snow fell on Montreal on Friday, stranding vehicles throughout the city.

That's more snow than had fallen on the city on any previous Dec. 16 since record-keeping began in 1941.

And it was closing in on another record, for the most snowfall on any day. The record, set in a deadly storm in March 1971, was 43.2 centimetres as measured at what is now Trudeau International Airport.

The storm forced some people in Ottawa to abandon stranded buses and walk as much as five kilometres to the downtown core.

'I hope the tow truck gets here before spring'

Traffic was a mess and drivers faced near-whiteout conditions at times, as people on foot struggled through knee-high mounds of snow.

The city sent about 1,500 workers out to clear the streets.

"I hope the tow truck gets here before spring," one of the many bus drivers who had been stranded told CBC News.

Transport Quebec reported no major accidents, but said hundreds of cars needed to be towed.

"For the island of Montreal, all the highways were hard hit," said a spokesperson for the provincial department, Maria Soteriadis.

"And because of the wind, they also had visibility zero or almost zero in some places."

About 200 flights cancelled

About 200 flights at Trudeau International Airport were cancelled.

"If it's cancelled again, I'll cry," said Tia Luker, whose was trying to make her way to Calgary. "I haven't cried yet, but I just really want to get home."

Others were delighted with the storm's bounty.

"It's beautiful," said one woman, beaming. "The first real snow, the kids are home from school and we're making the most of it.

"The car is stuck and we are just going to go to the park and see what the tobogganing looks like."

In the Quebec City area, about 25 centimetres of snow had fallen by early evening and another 10 centimetres were expected overnight as the storm moved east toward the Maritimes, where smaller amounts of snow and freezing rain were forecast.

Ottawa commuters abandon buses to walk up to 5 kilometres

The Toronto area, which received between eight and 14 centimetres of snowfall, was spared the worst of it.

But the storm dumped about 22 centimetres on Ottawa before the snow stopped falling in the afternoon. In Kemptville and Perth to the south, about 35 centimetres fell.

It piled up so quickly in the capital that plows that had just finished clearing main streets had to turn around and re-do their work.

• INDEPTH: Snow: A guide to the white stuff

As a result, side streets were left unattended, causing headaches for motorists.

On the city's dedicated bus-route system, many double-length articulated buses ended up jackknifed in the snow. Roads became so clogged that many passengers gave up and walked.

People trudged through knee-high snow, their hats and coats soaked after a few minutes.

"It's been really crappy, sitting on a bus for half an hour before finally deciding to get off the bus and walk," said one woman.

School buses were not running in the capital, although many schools remained open. Flights in and out of the airport were delayed.

Clean-up will cost $2 million, expert says

Ian Black, a CBC climatologist in Ottawa, said it shaped up as a $2-million event.

"According to City of Ottawa officials, that's how much it's going to cost to clean up from this storm," he said.

"It's been years since we've had a really good whack of snow like this. In fact, the last time we had over 25 centimetres of snow in one day was back in 1993 – April 1 to be exact – when we picked up close to 30 centimetres. ... "I know Montreal is getting a lot more than us, but it was tough here this morning," he said.

• FROM DEC. 15, 2005: Cape Breton digs out of snowstorm

The storm left its mark on southern Ontario overnight Thursday, causing more than 500 accidents in the Toronto area alone, Ontario Provincial Police reported.

One death was also reported, in a highway accident near Hamilton.