Starting late Sunday afternoon, part of Quebec suffered its first good bout of snow of the season.
Monday morning, it was southern Quebec that was hit the hardest. Nearly 25 centimeters of snow fell in several regions, notably in Montreal. Environment Canada predicted that a few more centimeters would fall during the day and that partial clearing would begin in the evening.
Tuesday through Thursday will see partly sunny conditions, but temperatures will be colder, especially on Wednesday.
During Sunday evening and Monday night, snow fell at a rate of 2 to 3 centimeters per hour in southwestern Quebec.
In Mauricie, Environment Canada predicted the fall of around fifteen centimeters of snow compared to around ten centimeters in the Quebec region and around fifteen in Beauce.
The federal agency warned that wind gusts of between 50 and 70 kilometers per hour could occur along the St. Lawrence Valley.
In southern Quebec, the snow that fell was heavy, putting stress on vegetation and electrical wires. At 7:30 a.m. Monday, a little more than 85,000 Hydro-Québec subscribers were without electricity, including more than 42,000 in Montérégie, more than 26,000 in Estrie and more than 8,700 in the Montreal region.
On the road network, most of the major highways in southern and central Quebec were snow-covered or partially cleared Monday morning, according to Transports Quebec. In general, visibility was good, but it was reduced in some places, particularly on some secondary roads.
Plane flight delays were also noted.