Magical holiday season and twinkling lights under a mass of snow: a good part of Quebec could have a “white Christmas” this year thanks to the snowflakes which fell on the south of the province on Saturday.
“Until now, it hasn’t aligned very well,” says Guillaume Perron, meteorologist at Environment Canada. “But here we have significant snowfall. ”
Up to 10 cm of snow was expected in southern Quebec on Saturday and Sunday. In addition, the temperatures for next week should remain below freezing, “which would give us a good chance of keeping this snow,” says Guillaume Perron.
Note that the snow cover must be 2 cm for Environment Canada to consider that there is a “white Christmas”. In Montreal, since 1955, three Christmases out of four have received this title, specifies Guillaume Perron.
Other snowflakes on the horizon
In addition to the precipitation this weekend, a few more inches of snow are expected during the week in Montreal and in the south of the province. The only downside: a low pressure system that could bring rain or snow on December 25. “There is a bit of uncertainty about the white Christmas [à cause de ce système dépressionnaire], explains Guillaume Perron. But there are possibilities that it will only fall in snow. ”
Another disappointment: some regions of Quebec, such as the Gaspé and Bas-Saint-Laurent, will not have received the same amount of snow as the rest of Quebec on Saturday and thus risk having a “green Christmas”.
A milder than average month of December
“The month of December, until now, is aligned to have been above the seasonal norms,” maintains Guillaume Perron.
As of December 17, the average temperature in Montreal was -1 ° C. The normal average is – 5 ° C, specifies the meteorologist.
The arrival of snow should delight those who miss white winters. Remember that heavy rain and a temperature of 14 ° C had washed out a Christmas 2020 already darkened by the pandemic. “We had received 29 mm of rain from the 24th to the 25th [décembre], remembers Guillaume Perron. It was practically a deluge and it had really destroyed our chances of having a White Christmas. ”