Heavy amounts of rain that fell on Sunday and Monday caused rivers to overflow in several areas of the province and forced road closures. In Montreal, a 20-year-old precipitation record was broken, at a time when the hope of a white Christmas seems weaker than ever.
On Monday, alerts went out across Quebec to warn residents that the rivers in their area were at risk of overflowing. By the end of the evening, 11 monitoring stations had noted a “minor flooding” situation on 9 rivers, according to the site monitoring of the flood waters of the government of Quebec.
These are the Chaudière, Hurons, Jacques-Cartier, Noire, Portneuf, Bras-du-Nord, Yamaska, Rigaud and Sainte-Anne rivers.
In addition, rivers covered by 19 other stations were “under surveillance” due to rising water levels. In the Capitale-Nationale region, torrential rains forced the closure of several roads and bridges, the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility announced in the evening. This is not the only region affected.
Bridges and roads were also blocked in all regions along the St. Lawrence River, as well as in Estrie and Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean.
On social networks, several municipalities in the province have alerted citizens to the risks of current or future flooding. An evacuation notice was notably issued Monday evening in Saint-Félix-de-Valois, in Lanaudière, due to an ice jam on the L’Assomption River, according to the municipality’s Facebook page.
“The frozen ground has a reduced capacity to absorb this amount of rain,” warned Environment Canada in a special weather bulletin. The agency specified that patches of fog should be present in this weather cocktail.
Torrential precipitation
“We are really above average,” said Environment Canada meteorologist Michèle Fleury, in an interview with The Press.
At the end of the evening, the precipitation balance varied from 50 to 70 millimeters of rain in the majority of regions, indicated meteorologist Brigitte Bourque. However, this level was higher in certain sectors.
The metropolis received 82 millimeters of rain on Monday. A priori, everything indicates that this will shatter a two-decade-old record.
“The normal amount of rain for a day in December in Montreal is around 40 millimeters. There, we will reach double, so that gives you an idea. And the record so far was 51 millimeters, on December 11, 2003. We have already exceeded it as we speak,” explained Mme Fleury.
On X, meteorologist Gilles Brien even mentioned that Monday will mark “the rainiest day in Montreal for a month of winter never seen since observations began in 1871. Mr. Brien said that a temperature record dating back 102 years had also just been broken in Montreal for December 18, with 9 degrees Celsius. The old mark in this regard was 8.9 degrees, in 1921.
By the end of the evening, Quebec City had received 51 millimeters of rain. The precipitation was not quite over further north, in the Saguenay, La Tuque and Lac-Saint-Jean sectors, said M.me Bourque.
“Slim hope” for a white Christmas
Coming from the East Coast, this low pressure system will continue to move eastwards on Tuesday. The Côte-Nord, Basse-Côte-Nord and Gaspésie regions, especially in the south, should be affected until Tuesday with similar amounts of rain expected.
As the weather progresses, the possibility of a white Christmas diminishes, with rain melting the little snow that remained on the ground in many regions. But there still remains a small possibility, maintains Mme Fleury, in an optimistic tone.
“There is still a slight hope because we could have snow around December 24 or 25, but even if it happens, it would not be a big snowfall. We would probably just have enough to make a little white carpet for Christmas,” she says.
According to the specialist, temperatures have generally been “above normal since the fall and almost the entire month of December in the center of the country, including Quebec.”
In an analysis, MétéoMédia notes that “the vast low pressure system currently affecting Quebec is an aberration on a global scale. Throughout North America, Quebec and the maritime provinces are the places where the temperature anomaly is the most significant.” “The provincial capital will experience its hottest day of the meteorological winter this Monday, where temperatures are expected to reach 15°C. The average daytime temperature there is normally -6°C,” says the media.
Ski resorts plan to make snow for the holidays
Due to the rain, several ski resorts had to close Monday to “preserve snow conditions,” Josée Cusson, director of communications and marketing for the Association of Quebec Ski Resorts, indicated by email. However, some have invested to cope with increasingly frequent warm spells in December due to climate change, she assures.
“New equipment makes it possible to produce snow at marginal temperatures. Previously the equipment was able to make quality snow from -7, now the technology allows manufacturing around -4,” explained M.me Cusson. According to her, from Tuesday, the colder temperatures will allow snowmaking and slope work to resume. Remember that the holiday period represents between 15 to 20% of the overall ski season traffic. “The only place where there will be snow at Christmas is in the ski resorts”, underlines Mme Cusson.
Focus on the Maritimes
Certain areas in the east of the province, such as Matane and Natashquan, were also covered by a wind warning. Gusts of 90 km/h are expected Monday evening or overnight. In the Maritimes, several regions of New Brunswick could also experience episodes of gusts of 90 to 110 km/h by Tuesday. Rainfall is expected to be 30 to 50 millimeters, but close to 80 to 100 millimeters in places in areas where the rain will be heaviest, says Environment Canada. The weather agency is also forecasting high coastal water levels overnight, leading to a risk of flooding along the central and eastern parts of Nova Scotia’s Atlantic coast.
With The Canadian Press