With the mild weather hovering over Quebec, skiing, skating and sliding conditions are going down the drain in many places. Mont-Castor, in Matane, must even close its slopes this Saturday.
“There are places where there is no snow at all, it’s directly on the grass,” testifies Luc Gagnon, operations coordinator for the Corporation de gestion récréotouristique de Matane, in a telephone interview.
To “maintain our achievements”, the 19 slopes will remain closed at the start of the weekend, explained Mr. Gagnon in an online video.
The fate of Sunday will be decided next night.
“It doesn’t bode very well, to be honest,” Mr. Gagnon told us on Friday.
Mont-Castor does not have snow cannons. December was so mild and so little snowy that the resort only opened on January 20, something never seen in at least forty years, testifies Mr. Gagnon.
The snow cover is not sufficient and it does not allow us to absorb great heat and large quantities of rain.
Luc Gagnon, operations coordinator of the Matane Recreational Tourism Management Corporation
With an opening so late after the holidays, “for almost any ski center in Quebec that is in the same situation, we can talk about nearly 30% loss of revenue,” estimates Mr. Gagnon.
Since 1er December, the region received “half as much snow precipitation” as the seasonal average, confirms Jean-Philippe Bégin, meteorologist with Environment Canada. Temperatures of 3 to 4°C are expected this Saturday and Sunday. “It’s certain that it’s not going to help us, especially with the cold weather that will follow: it’s disastrous for the slopes. »
Deserted Mount Royal
Montreal’s emblematic mountain doesn’t lead far either. With its crust of grayish snow liquefying under a leaden sky, Mount Royal was practically deserted Friday afternoon.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Marianne, Katherine and Marc-Antoine
“We had hope this morning, it was sunny,” Marianne told us, moving forward with uncertain steps with her friends Katherine and Marc-Antoine. “It’s quite a challenge!” It’s wet. Even on the street, it’s slippery! »
Delphine, who came to join a friend, was one of the rare skiers to venture onto the slopes. “It wasn’t great conditions, but hey, it doesn’t matter, we’re together, that’s what counts. »
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
John, came to visit his daughter Cate with the family dogs
“It feels like spring even though it’s February, which is a bit absurd,” commented Cate, who came for a walk with her father who had just arrived from Ontario. “There was no snow in Toronto. As long as I’m in Canada, I’d rather have winter and snow than dreary days,” says John.
For Pierre Yves Thériault, who walks dogs every day by bike, “a winter like that is horror”. Each dog must be wiped down before letting it enter its owner, and even with studded tires, the path remains slippery. “Give me -10°C to -30°C all winter and spring one day, but freeze-melt, freeze-melt, it’s terrible! »
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Pierre Yves Thériault
The melting will continue this Saturday, since 8°C is forecast in the metropolis. “We’re going to open the pool!” », jokes Joseph Bassil, who came from Laval with his son Andrew to walk to the cross of Mount Royal.
Return of winter
The warm spell that began in Montreal on Thursday, marked by temperatures of 5 to 6°C, will continue until Sunday, a transition day when the mercury will begin a gradual decline.
“The topic next week will be: “Oh well, winter wasn’t over after all?” », Illustrates meteorologist Jean-Philippe Bégin.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
A mixture of ice, snow and water covers the sidewalks of the metropolis.
The averages for this time of year are -4°C during the day, and -14°C at night, he recalls. And in Montreal as in all of southern Quebec, “we are going to be close to or below seasonal norms for a good ten days”.
In the meantime, “in southern Quebec, we are flirting with record values”. “Temperatures all the more exceptional” as they extend “from the Outaouais to the gates of Quebec, obviously including the greater Montreal region, the Laurentians, Estrie and Montérégie”.
Environment Canada has therefore published a “MetNote” in the affected regions, to warn motorists of “changing road conditions” until late Sunday morning.
“The mild weather will cause the formation of fog banks that could suddenly reduce visibility and melting snow, posing a risk of aquaplaning on secondary roads,” the agency mentions.
At the end of Friday afternoon, the mercury had not exceeded 6°C in Montreal, while the record for February 9 is 7°C (reached in 1990). And the record of February 10 (8.8°C in 2001) promises to be “more difficult to beat”, with a predicted maximum of 8°C. “So we see that we are going to flirt with record temperatures, without beating them hands down,” predicted Mr. Bégin on Friday.
No January record here
The planet experienced its hottest January on record, with an average temperature of 13.14°C, AFP reported on Thursday.
Read “Global warming: the year 2024 begins with new records”
In Montreal, the average temperature was -5.3°C in January, while the normal is -9.7°C. “It was gentle, but we weren’t in the top 5 “, says Mr. Bégin. The year 1950 holds fifth position, with -5.2°C.
However, due to its mildness, the month of December 2023 is the third recorded in Montreal, with an average temperature of -1°C, while the normal is -5.4°C.
“What is special is to have December, January and a mild start to February, [mais] the month is not over. And we are going to have cold weather coming from next week, so that will temper the situation,” explains the meteorologist.
If winter officially begins on December 21, “meteorological winter” includes all of the months of December, January and February, recalls Mr. Bégin. The return to the winter season will therefore only be made at the end of the month at Environment Canada.