(Montreal) Everything indicates that Quebec will be spared flooding this spring, despite the heavy snow cover that is still present in several regions.
Posted at 11:41 a.m.
Climatic conditions are, however, a cause for concern in terms of forest fires.
The absence of prolonged heavy rains and the cool nights that have marked the past few weeks have allowed southern Quebec to escape major flooding.
As for the eastern part of the province, where the snow cover remains significant, civil security explained in an email to The Canadian Press that “the melting of the snow alone will have a limited impact in terms of flooding. To have significant consequences, a lot of rain would have to be added. »
However, according to Environment Canada, no significant precipitation is expected in the short term, except for light showers on Tuesday. Thereafter, hot and dry weather is expected for the remainder of the week. Despite the possibility of a little rain next weekend, again there is no question of significant quantities, and this, for all of Quebec.
This means that there is little to fear, even in the regions that civil security has placed “under surveillance due to significant snow cover”. These regions are Mauricie (for the Saint-Maurice River), Capitale-Nationale (for the rivers that have their source in the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve and in Charlevoix), Saguenay, Côte-Nord and Gaspésie.
So far, civil security has reported only three minor floods throughout Quebec, namely at Lake Maskinongé, at Saint-Gabriel-de-Brandon in Lanaudière, at the Croche River, at the limits of Mauricie and Saguenay-Lac- Saint-Jean and the Harricana River near Amos, in Abitibi.
Last year, southern Quebec was hit by a major drought in late spring, after two consecutive years of major flooding in 2019 and 2020.
However, if this situation makes it possible to be reassured with regard to floods, it is quite different for forest fires. The Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks has also issued a ban on open fires in or near the forest, in the regions of Montreal, Laval, Montérégie, Estrie, Mauricie, Chaudière-Appalaches, Laurentians, Outaouais, Lanaudière, Centre-du-Québec, Capitale-Nationale, Bas-Saint-Laurent and Abitibi-Témiscamingue.
Two forest fires are active, one of eight hectares in the MRC Antoine-Labelle, in the Laurentians and one of just under one hectare in the MRC of Matawinie, in the Laurentians. Both fires are under control.
Since the start of the season, SOPFEU has reported 69 forest fires that have affected 73.5 hectares, compared to the ten-year average of 81 fires for an area of 58.8 hectares.