The very first winter storm of 2023 which, by a curious coincidence, hit Quebec in the middle of Friday the 13th has so far caused no damage, but caution is still required for those who have to move during the day.
Very early Friday morning, Environment Canada issued a winter storm warning for all of southern Quebec, where an additional accumulation of 5 to 15 centimeters is expected by the evening. Combined with the snow, the wind could cause blowing snow and complicate visibility on the roads.
“So far, Montreal has received nearly twenty centimeters of snow, the Ottawa-Gatineau region, about fifteen; Quebec received 13 centimeters; but there are less in Saguenay, we are talking about six centimeters. In Estrie, we had less snow, because part of the precipitation fell as rain, ”lists Simon Legault, meteorologist for Environment Canada, at the end of the morning.
The snow should begin to accumulate gradually in eastern Quebec, where precipitation could continue until late Saturday. “We could have good quantities totaling between 30 to 40 centimeters in Gaspésie and Bas-Saint-Laurent, adds Mr. Legault. The Côte-Nord will not be affected much, there is more talk of accumulations in the Basse-Côte-Nord. »
The mercury will then drop over the weekend to reach temperatures close to normal for the season, said Mr. Legault. “The temperatures will be colder, but the weather will be clear and it will be possible to take advantage of all this beautiful snow over the next few days. »
Road exits
According to Transports Québec, the road conditions are all in all acceptable for a large part of the province, with good visibility on the network. Traffic lanes are mostly clear or partially covered.
In the northwest of the province, particularly in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, the roadway is clear, but visibility is reduced.
In the Quebec City and Chaudière-Appalaches region, visibility is also reduced due to precipitation. From this point and towards the east of Quebec, the roadway is covered, but the visibility is acceptable. A similar portrait can be observed in the north of the province, particularly in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region.
Several exits from the road have nevertheless been reported to the Sûreté du Québec since the night of Thursday to Friday. “There were road trips and rollovers over a large part of the territory, explains Audrey-Anne Bilodeau, spokesperson for the police force. Most motorists, however, were not injured. »
Road trips follow the path of the storm: they were numerous in the south-west of the province this night and early in the morning, then moving east. “Last night, it was a lot of Montérégie, Estrie, Centre-du-Québec, but here we see that it is going to the northeast. Fortunately, nothing major, ”says the policewoman.
Trucks also struggled with Mother Nature, with several truck-trailers veering off course. “Last night, a tanker truck left the road on Highway 20 in the Saint-Cyrille-de-Wendover sector; around three o’clock in the morning, a 53-foot truck also went off the road on Highway 10 West in the Eastman sector, but it did not lose its load of wood chips,” continues the sergeant.
More recently, another truck jackknifed on Autoroute 20 eastbound, blocking all three lanes in that area near Montarville Boulevard. “We requested the assistance of the Longueuil agglomeration police department to close the entrance ramp to the highway for Montarville, explains Mr.me Bilodeau. The complete reopening of this sector was carried out at 10:32 am.
As towing companies are overwhelmed, it is possible that vehicles that do not obstruct traffic lanes will be moved later in the day, said the spokesperson.
Flights delayed, some schools closed
As for Montreal Airport, many flights have been delayed, some have been cancelled. The situation is the same at Jean-Lesage Airport in Quebec City, where internal flights are mostly canceled or delayed due to weather conditions.
In the morning, the strong winds and precipitation will not have caused too much damage, while barely a handful of breakdowns are to be deplored throughout the territory of the province, indicates Hydro-Québec. The few breakdowns listed on the Info-pannes site are mostly concentrated in the metropolitan area or in the west of the island, both on the South Shore and the North Shore.
Although a majority of schools and educational establishments remained open on Friday, some school service centers preferred to close the doors of their establishments as a precaution. This is particularly the case for:
- the Fleuve et des Lacs school service center and the Phares school service center in Bas-Saint-Laurent;
- the Center de services scolaire de la Côte-du-Sud and the Center de services scolaire des Appalaches, in Chaudière-Appalaches;
- the Portneuf School Service Center and the Central Quebec School Board, in the Capitale-Nationale region.
The primary and secondary schools of Joliette as well as the primary school of Rawdon are also closed on Friday.
This dispatch was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta Exchange and The Canadian Press for the news.