More than 1,000 stranded passengers spent the night at Amsterdam's international airport as snow and ice that is pummeling parts of Europe grounded hundreds of flights.

An active storm track is set to bring a mix of wet and wintry weather to Ontario late this week and into the weekend. Subtropical moisture will arrive early Friday, driving a temperature surge and widespread rain showers, with snowfall expected along the northern edges of the system.

A yellow alert snow and ice warning has been issued for Northern Ireland by the Met Office, with icy conditions expected from Friday evening into Saturday morning.

Snow, ice and freezing temperatures have hit parts of Europe, causing chaos. Treacherous conditions left at least five people dead in France and forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights.

A major winter storm is pummeling the Tri-State Area with snow and ice after New York and New Jersey declared states of emergency.

Intense snow bands with rates of 1 inch per hour are possible across parts of northern New Jersey during tonight's storm.

New York will see a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain, with accumulating snow likely across interior mountain ranges and lake-effect snow.

Storm Goretti lashed England and France with hurricane-force winds, causing widespread disruption as it swept through northwest Europe and cut power to hundreds of thousands of homes.