Barely recovered from a weather cocktail that left icy roads in Montreal, Quebec is once again swept by a winter storm which was expected to begin Friday evening and could leave up to 40 centimeters of snow depending on the region.
For the most western regions of Quebec, the snowstorm, accompanied by strong winds, was expected to set in overnight, while the snow is expected to begin during the day on Saturday in the most remote areas. ballast.
Road conditions will be dangerous in several places and strong winds as well as storm surges could cause road closures, warns Environment Canada a few days before the start of this storm which will first affect Ontario before crossing Quebec from west to east.
In Montreal and in areas south of the river, 15 to 20 centimeters of snow are expected in places, according to Environment Canada forecasts.
Special weather statements have been issued for several areas.
More snow in the East
According to Environment Canada, the regions that received the most snow at the start of the week will still receive the greatest amounts of precipitation.
25 to 40 centimeters are expected in a wide corridor north of the St. Lawrence, from Quebec to Sept-Îles via the southern regions of Saguenay.
“There is a special mention for the regions near Quebec which will have particularly strong winds and particularly heavy snow for a good period of time, during the day on Saturday,” warned meteorologist Jean-Philippe Bégin, during a press conference Friday afternoon.
“We must expect conditions to deteriorate quickly,” indicated Jean-Philippe Bégin.
Snow accumulations of up to 5 centimeters in an hour could be observed in places during the worst of the storm this Saturday, which will make road conditions dangerous, Environment Canada predicts.
Storm surges
Citizens of Quebec, the North Shore, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Gaspésie and the Magdalen Islands must prepare for storm surges and very high waves.
“By Saturday, coastal overflows could occur in the same places as during the last storm, therefore, particularly for the regions near Quebec, Saguenay, the southeastern regions of Gaspésie, although a little less intense for Gaspésie,” said the Environment Canada meteorologist.
Roads along the river could be closed.
In the Estrie region, snow is expected to change to rain during the day on Saturday and icy conditions, accompanied by strong winds, could cause power outages again. On Wednesday, strong winds overturned a bus in this region.
Hydro-Québec has already indicated that its employees would be on the ground overnight from Friday to Saturday to manage emergencies and that 146 of its teams would be ready to intervene Saturday morning. “This weather cocktail, including gusts of more than 100 km/h in certain regions, could cause outages. The main sectors to watch are Beauce and Estrie,” warned the state-owned company.