About 20 weather warnings remain in effect across Canada as heavy snow, blizzards, freezing rain, heavy rain and bitter cold weather hit much of the country over the weekend.

According to Environment Canada, the unstable weather conditions are continuing from west to east and could seriously disrupt travel, travel and daily activities. According to a meteorologist at the agency, the current weather pattern is unusual and much more active than for this time of year, and the best thing for people to do is to continue to monitor official warnings and be prepared for difficult conditions.

A winter storm warning has been issued in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, with forecasts indicating up to 40 centimetres of snow in the western and coastal regions of the province from Saturday to Sunday afternoon. Elsewhere in the province, 5 to 15 centimetres of snow is possible. Strong winds could intensify the blizzard conditions and cause widespread travel disruption.

In Ontario, from Waterloo Region in the south to North Bay in the northeast and around Ottawa, a mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow is expected to continue Sunday into Monday, with up to 15 millimetres of freezing rain in some areas. Environment Canada has warned that the conditions could cause extremely slippery roads, power outages and fallen trees.

In Quebec, widespread snowfall is also expected, although the system is expected to move into the province on Monday.

In western Canada, a severe cold warning has been issued for large parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan. From Medicine Hat in southern Alberta to Fort McMurray in the north, temperatures could drop to minus 40 degrees Celsius, with wind chills expected to persist until at least Sunday morning. Similar conditions were reported in parts of the Yukon.

In British Columbia, a Pacific system is bringing heavy snowfall to the Yukon border and blizzards to coastal areas. Up to 150 millimetres of rain is also expected on the province's northwest coast from Saturday night to Monday morning.

Meteorologists are blaming the unstable conditions on the combination of three weather systems: one from the Pacific in the west, one in the centre of the country and another on the east coast.

Environment Canada also said Alberta is experiencing unusual conditions, with 24 centimetres of snow recorded last week, compared to the province's average December snowfall of around 18 centimetres.

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