A whole weather cocktail is forecast for the next few days throughout Quebec, suggesting difficult road conditions on Christmas Eve. Snow, rain, strong winds and a rapid drop in temperature are on the menu starting Thursday evening, which could cause power outages and complicate travel.
“All of Quebec, from east to west, will taste it one way or another,” warns Jean-Philippe Bégin, meteorologist at Environment Canada. “It’s a special storm because it will intensify quickly and it will generate a lot of wind. We will have to expect power outages across Quebec. »
The storm is expected to start Thursday evening over southern Quebec and spread towards Centre-du-Québec and Bas-Saint-Laurent during the day on Friday, reaching the Côte-Nord at the end of the day on Friday. and the Gaspé.
“It’s going to be difficult on the roads on Friday all over western, southern and central Quebec. In the East, it will be rather difficult from Friday afternoon until Saturday morning, ”says Mr. Bégin, who recommends planning his trips before or after this critical period.
A New Year’s Eve in danger?
Strong winds will sweep across Quebec, with expected gusts of 80 to 120 km/h. Some snow may change to rain, then, as temperatures drop, the flakes should return. Environment Canada will specify the expected amounts of precipitation, but Jean-Philippe Bégin mentions snowfall that can range from 30 to 50 cm north of the St. Lawrence River. “We could even exceed 50 cm,” he says. In southern Quebec, the snow could be less abundant, but the rain will be there.
This does not mean that we must give up travel for Christmas Eve, but motorists will have to exercise great caution on Saturday, because road conditions will remain difficult, underlines the meteorologist. Blowing snow will invade the roads, and the winds, although more moderate, could continue to blow.
Due to the extent of the territory affected and the risk of prolonged power outages, Environment Canada even recommends that citizens provide an emergency kit for a period of 72 hours with water supplies, warm blankets, poached. Those who have a generator should also ensure that it is functional. “We don’t expect all of Quebec to be in the dark, but we recommend having a plan B,” underlines Mr. Bégin.
The storm formed in the US Midwest and headed towards the Great Lakes and the US East Coast with a great contrast in temperatures. “It’s major. It’s clear that we don’t have this kind of storm every winter,” notes Mr. Bégin, who recommends that motorists contact 511 or consult the website of the Ministère des Transports du Québec before hitting the road. .
In the East, it will be necessary to watch the coastal overflows because of a situation which will favor a strong amplitude of tides. “The high tides are going to be monitored between Friday and Saturday in eastern Quebec. There will be breaking waves near the coast to the Lower North Shore with waves over 6 meters that will form where the wind will have a hold over a long distance. »
Hydro-Québec is getting ready
Hydro-Québec is on high alert. High winds could cause trees, branches and even poles to fall. The Crown corporation began to contact its employees who were preparing to leave for the holidays to find volunteers ready to intervene in the event of a service interruption. “So far, recruitment is going quite well,” said Jonathan Côté, spokesperson for Hydro-Québec.
Mr. Côté maintains that Hydro-Québec ensured that it had the necessary equipment at its disposal to intervene in the event of breakdowns. Special monitoring will be carried out in the regions north of the river. “We are monitoring the situation from hour to hour. What is special is the large number of regions affected at the same time,” points out Mr. Côté.
In Montreal, snow removal and abrasive spreading teams will be ready to intervene, says Philippe Sabourin, administrative spokesperson for the City of Montreal. “The sequence should be, overnight Thursday to Friday, snow followed by lots of rain, then cooling at the end of the day with high winds and more snowfall. It’s one of the worst situations,” he said.
The challenge for the City is to be able to channel rainwater – with anticipated precipitation of 45 mm – so that it does not stay on the ground and prevent the sidewalks from turning into skating rinks. “The more snow we will have before the rain, the more unfavorable we will have,” said Mr. Sabourin. With more than 5 cm of snow, the City will have to compact the snow at the edge of the street, which could clog the manholes and prevent the evacuation of water, he adds.
“What is clear is that in less than 24 hours, we will live two seasons, he said. But we have enough personnel and equipment. With last week’s broadside, we’ve run in our teams and our machines, but it’s going to happen so quickly over such a short period that we won’t be fighting on equal terms against the precipitation that’s coming. »
Better to find another time than Friday to go in search of last minute gifts.
To those who are worried about seeing the snow cover disappear in southern Quebec, Jean-Philippe Bégin assures us that the expected rain will not jeopardize the White Christmas.