Dense fog is expected to cover southern Quebec from Saturday to Sunday due to record high temperatures and rain. Caution: visibility on Quebec roads will be reduced.
It is in the clouds that Quebecers will cross from 2022 to 2023: a significant fog should continue to deploy in the province during the day on Saturday, reducing visibility on the roads significantly, warns Environment Canada.
Fog advisories are also in progress in most parts of the southern part of the province. “Dangerous road conditions can be expected due to reduced visibility in some places,” the federal agency said on its website. Turn on your headlights when visibility is reduced and keep a safe distance between vehicles. »
The fog is caused by the significant thaw, which melts the snow, in addition to being accompanied by rain, explains Frederick Boulay, meteorologist for Environment Canada.
“Currently, we are experiencing temperatures of 10 to 15 degrees above seasonal norms, he underlines. Normal for Montreal is -5 degrees Celsius. And [vendredi], we reached 8.6 degrees Celsius, a record. »
The old record was 7.8 degrees Celsius reached in 1889 and 1936, specifies the meteorologist.
Torrential rains north of the river
Heavy rains are also expected in many areas of Quebec. Alerts are in effect for regions north of the St. Lawrence River, including Gatineau, the Laurentians, Lanaudière, Mauricie and Quebec.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
The fog is caused by the significant thaw, which melts the snow, in addition to being accompanied by rain.
Up to 40 milliliters of rain are expected to fall on these regions. “Torrential rains can cause flash flooding and water accumulation on the roads. Keep children and pets away from the banks of streams and rivers,” warns Environment Canada.
Temperatures are expected to decrease slowly on Sunday, but remain above seasonal norms until Tuesday. That day, a new depression is expected for Quebec, with a mixture of rain, snow and ice.
Again power outages
New power outages have also been added to the Quebec network. While fewer than 3,000 outages were recorded by Hydro-Quebec at the end of the day on Friday, more than 7,000 homes were without power at 11:15 a.m. Saturday.
The sectors most affected are Montérégie with 1,947 customers without electricity, followed by the Côte-Nord with 1,492 homes in the dark. In addition, 1,393 customers are without electricity in the Laurentians and 1,172 in the Capitale-Nationale region.