Quebecers must prepare for prolonged power outages, warns Environment Canada, at the arrival of a winter storm which will intensify during the day on Friday. Years, strong gusts and a risk of freezing rain. Roads and sidewalks could thus be transformed into “skating rinks” in the south of the province.
According to forecasts from the federal agency, winds of 70 to 110 km/h will blow Friday in many regions of Quebec. In Montreal, gusts of nearly 90 km/h could be recorded.
Strong wind and winter storm alerts have also been issued for the Laurentians, Lanaudière, Mauricie, Gatineau, Quebec, Abitibi, Baie-Comeau and Charlevoix, among others.
“With winds like these, we can expect power outages almost everywhere,” says Jean-Philippe Bégin, meteorologist at Environment Canada.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Quebecers could even celebrate Christmas Eve in the dark. Due to the scale of the storm, power could take time to be restored, he said. “It’s a major storm hitting a huge territory. It will complicate the restoration of service, ”warns the meteorologist.
On the sidelines of preparations for Christmas, Environment Canada recommends that the population provide food, water and blankets to meet their needs for up to 72 hours. Electronic devices should also be charged.
“Think also of a plan B: can I shelter with friends or relatives? The idea is not to alarm everyone, but to prepare ahead of time,” emphasizes Mr. Bégin.
dangerous roads
Many Quebecers will also have to postpone or cancel their trips, as they will be disrupted by a cocktail of snow, rain and blowing snow.
In the greater Montreal area, snowfall was expected to intensify during the night from Thursday to Friday. The snow will turn to rain on Friday with a chance of freezing rain in the morning. By late afternoon, temperatures will quickly dip below freezing, and the flakes will fall again. Accumulations of 20 to 30 cm of snow are expected.
“Historically, this is what causes skating rinks on the sidewalks and on the roads,” warns Jean-Philippe Bégin. “Avoid being on the road in southern Quebec tomorrow,” insists the meteorologist.
In eastern Quebec, Environment Canada predicts snow accumulations of between 30 and 50 cm, or even more in places. The combination of high winds and snowfall could greatly reduce visibility and cause road closures.
A risk of coastal overflow has also been issued in the regions of Quebec, Charlevoix and Baie-Comeau, due to higher than normal water levels and strong winds expected Friday at the end of the day.
Cities are getting ready
The City of Montreal is asking the public to avoid going out on Friday, since municipal maintenance teams expect a “great challenge” to succeed in keeping the streets and sidewalks passable for vehicles and pedestrians.
“It’s special, because we’re going to experience two seasons in 24 hours, with large amounts of precipitation, both snow and rain,” said Philippe Sabourin, spokesperson for the City of Montreal, in a telephone interview. . “It’s the mix that makes the challenge bigger. »
Municipal employees will therefore first have to push the snow to clear the streets, then clear the catch basins so that the rain can drain into the storm sewers.
Spreading salt will probably be unnecessary in the first hours of the storm, since the rain will then dilute everything. We are therefore preparing to spread fine gravel at the beginning, saving the salt for later, when the temperatures drop again.
Quebec City is also on the alert. Mayor Bruno Marchand wanted to reassure citizens on Thursday.
The City is ready. The crisis cell is activated and ready to take care of the citizens of Quebec.
Bruno Marchand, Mayor of Quebec
In particular, the City has tripled its urban forestry guard team, anticipating several broken branches. The weather forecast predicts gusts of 80 km / h on Friday evening in the capital. The authorities are also worried about the succession of snow then rain, followed by a cooling.
“The worst scenario would be 25-30 cm of snow, then 20-25 mm of rain, and after that, a significant cooling,” notes Éric Grondin, director of the snow removal management division at the City of Quebec.
Schools closed, flights canceled
Christmas break has come earlier than expected for thousands of students across the province.
As a preventive measure, the school service centers of Montreal, Marguerite-Bourgeoys and Pointe-de-l’Île have decided to close their schools on Friday. No courses or distance learning are planned for all primary, secondary and adult sector students.
From Lac-Saint-Jean to Abitibi, via Quebec and Outaouais, many school service centers have also decided to close their establishments.
WestJet announced Thursday evening that its flights departing from and arriving at airports in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver are canceled on Friday.
Cancellations begin Thursday at 11:50 p.m. local time in Vancouver and Friday at 9 a.m. local time in Toronto and Montreal. Flights could resume on Saturday, depending on weather conditions.
Airports in Ottawa, London and Waterloo, Ontario, as well as those in Abbotsford, Victoria, Nanaimo and Comox, British Columbia, are also affected by these WestJet cancellations.
Travelers who intend to take a flight would therefore do better to inquire about the situation. At Montreal-Trudeau airport, in particular, several domestic flights or flights to the United States scheduled for Thursday evening or Friday have also been delayed or canceled. “A mix of precipitation is expected in Montreal from Thursday to Saturday, which could disrupt flight schedules,” the airport said on its website.
With The Canadian Press