(Montreal) Prepare your snow shovels, because a “tough, tenacious and stormy” winter is settling in Quebec.
The seasons follow one another, but are not alike, because if the fall was marked by the mildness of the sun and temperatures above normal, the winter will be harsh according to MétéoMédia forecasts.
“Because of the active corridor present in the St. Lawrence Valley, several storms are expected”, indicated the head of the meteorology service to MétéoMédia, specifying that “it is likely to be the cold which will dominate with a lot of systems, a lot of depression, storms that will affect Quebec”.
By mentioning the “very active corridor”, André Monette refers to the zone located between two air masses; “the cold air dome” which will be present in the west of the country and “the sweetness” planned on the east coast of the United States.
This situation will favor the passage of many systems bringing a lot of snow, but perhaps also heavy rainfall.
“That’s where the depressions are going to happen. So it’s really like the highway of depressions, we risk having more depressions than usual in the St. Lawrence Valley corridor” indicated André Monette, specifying “that we must be ready to shovel this year”, and that “in some regions, it has already started”.
The head of meteorology at MétéoMédia believes that the chances are good of having a white Christmas, “unless the rain decides to spoil the festivities”.
If the first half of winter promises to be cold and snowy, the second half should be milder and punctuated by mild spells.
Elsewhere in the country
Like Quebec, Ontario will find itself in the axis of an active corridor in terms of precipitation and periods of intense cold.
The Prairies will also be entitled to below normal temperatures in the coming months, with the repeated presence of the polar vortex.
In the Rockies, several snowstorms are expected.
The Atlantic provinces will however be favored by a pronounced mildness thanks to the abnormally mild temperatures of the Atlantic Ocean, according to MétéoMédia.
“Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, the Magdalen Islands, Newfoundland and Labrador, we are forecasting an above normal, milder winter,” said André. Monette, however, stressing that “the further we go towards New Brunswick and northern New Brunswick, the more we are in the corridor with more precipitation than normal”.
The Weather Network invites Canadians to pay particular attention to daily forecasts in the coming weeks as weather and road conditions will change quickly and suddenly.