OTTAWA  Even in a country that prides itself at shrugging off winter, it was an exceptional storm. Several hundred drivers spent more than 24 hours stranded in their cars and trucks snowbound a major Ontario highway before the police and military rescuers extricated them on Tuesday.

More fortunate drivers were trapped in that most ubiquitous of Canadian landmarks, a Tim Hortons doughnut shop. And even an armed forces search and rescue team was stymied by the gusting winds at times.

By Tuesday afternoon, police and troops reported that they were removing significant numbers of people from the highway, No. 402, near Sarnia, Ontario. The highway was closed on Monday after high winds and rapidly falling snow squalls eliminated visibility.

A state of emergency remained in place on Tuesday and the Ontario Provincial Police estimated that about 360 vehicles holding an unknown number of passengers had spent the night on the highway.