The mercury could drop below 0°C at night, with maximum temperatures well below seasonal norms during the day, warns Environment Canada.
It has been since the end of April that Quebec has not experienced such low temperatures, says MétéoMédia.
In the Montreal region, the mercury will not rise above 7 to 8°C for the days of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, according to data provided by Environment Canada. For Quebec City, we are talking about maximum temperatures around 8 to 10°C. In Abitibi, they will not exceed 6 to 7°C.
Temperatures well below seasonal norms, since in Montreal for example, these are usually around 12 to 15°C.
Environment Canada warns that freezing episodes are also expected in several regions of Quebec, particularly in the south of the province and in Gaspésie, for the nights of Saturday to Sunday and Sunday to Monday.
This is due to a cold air mass coming from northwestern Ontario, explains Dominic Martel, meteorologist at Environment Canada.
“The scientific consensus [au sujet des changements climatiques] predicts that we will have later first snows, normals which will increase each decade,” he underlines.
“But it’s completely normal to have temperature peaks above or below normal when we arrive in the fall, like what we have now,” he explains.
And the snow?
On Saturday, some regions of Quebec experienced episodes of snow, notably in the Laurentides wildlife reserve. “But it was slush, because the temperatures were slightly positive,” specifies Dominic Martel.
This time, the freezing temperatures forecast for Quebec at the start of next week could lead to accumulation of snow in certain regions, such as, again, in the Laurentides wildlife reserve, but also around Coaticook, Mont Mégantic, towards Fermont, and perhaps even in the Gaspésie National Park.
“It will depend on the trajectory of the system and its intensity,” underlines Dominic Martel.
“Some very pessimistic models predict around fifteen centimeters of snow in Manicouagan, but at the start of the season, these models often do not take into account the fact that the ground is still warm,” he adds.
We are therefore more likely talking about 5 centimeters of snow, where it could accumulate, he said.
After the cold, the good weather
Until now, “there is a consensus that we will have a great weekend next week,” says Dominic Martel.
In southern Quebec, we could have temperatures of around 15°C, therefore slightly above seasonal norms, and without precipitation.
“On Sunday, however, there could be some precipitation in Abitibi. But from the St. Lawrence Valley and all the way to the East, we should have a very nice weekend,” he concludes.