Residents of Montreal and other cities in Quebec province armed with shovels dug themselves out Friday after parts of Canada witnessed their heaviest snowfalls for at least four decades.

Some towns in the province reported almost two feet (60 centimeters) of snow. Almost 18 inches (45 centimeters) fell in Montreal, surpassing all previous dumps dating back to 1971.

Officials expected it to take up to four days for workers and snow plows to clear the streets in Montreal, where dozens of flights were canceled and several more suffered delays.

In the United States, more than 3,000 flights have been canceled since Christmas Day including almost 750 on Thursday, as a winter storm killed more than a dozen people and snarled holiday travel across the northeast.