Quebec had an exceptionally mild January, so much so that in greater Montreal and Gatineau, the mercury has not yet crossed the minus 20 degrees Celsius threshold this winter, a first in more than 20 years.
• Read also: Weather Quebec: mild temperatures continue to overlook the province
• Read also: “We’re not making any this year”: the weather is harming ice cider production
• Read also: 2023 was the hottest year in history
“The temperatures have been very mild, we are around 4 degrees above normal. We had very few very cold days,” underlines André Monette, chief meteorologist at Météo Média.
The deviations from normal were particularly significant in western and northern Quebec, specifies Simon Legault, meteorologist at Environment Canada.
If the Capitale-Nationale region experienced a few days below minus 20 degrees, this was still not the case for Montreal and Gatineau as of January 31.
“It’s very rare, the last time it happened was in 2002,” says André Monette.
Mixture of precipitation
Snow, sleet, freezing rain… the month of January was also marked by several mixtures of precipitation.
“It was a fairly active month, especially between January 9 and 16. We had several systems with a lot of precipitation,” specifies the meteorologist from Météo Média.
In several places, this resulted in beautiful snowfalls which delighted the ski centers, which had experienced a difficult start to the season.
“It was the first time that we lost the entire holiday season because of the mild weather, but we had two nice trips, that helped,” illustrates Sidonie Pécheux, co-owner of the Cross-Country Ski and Snowshoe Center. ‘Estérel, in the Laurentians.
A first snowfall brought joy to cross-country skiing enthusiasts in Montreal on January 8.
Photo Agence QMI, JOEL LEMAY
Since mid-January, conditions have been good for both cross-country skiing and fatbiking at Sentiers du Moulin de Lac-Beauport.
“All our indicators are green,” rejoices Sophie Leblanc-Leroux, communications manager at the Association of Quebec Ski Resorts.
Winter is not over
Mild weather will continue for the first two weeks of February across the province.
“Winter is not over,” however, warns Simon Legault, meteorologist at Environment Canada.
The province will shift to more wintry temperatures in the last 10 days of February, with cold weather expected to continue into early March.
We will also have to wait until Valentine’s Day to have systems that will bring new snow, indicates André Monette.