• Environment Canada has issued a special statement regarding Montreal's weekend weather forecast showing freezing rain and strong winds
• The nasty weather combo could mean ice-laden branches and powerlines could be more likely to come down in the wind.
• Take a look at the statement below.
• Visit MTLBlog for more headlines.

Montreal weather this weekend is going to be pretty miserable. The anticipated freezing rain and wind have led Environment Canada to issue a special weather statement regarding the incoming low-pressure system. Much of Southern Quebec could be facing a significant amount of freezing precipitation on Saturday followed by "strong gusts of 60-70 km/h" by Sunday.

This is just a statement for now, as Environment Canada explains, "there remains some uncertainty regarding the track of this system, which my affect total rainfall and freezing precipitation amounts."

This is likely why Environment Canada has listed 11 regions across the southern-most part of Southern Quebec under the special weather statement. 

A huge swath of Southern Ontario is under a similar statement, where they are expecting up to 25 mm of freezing rain in some regions throughout Saturday and "strong southeast wings" on Sunday morning.

It appears the storm is coming up from Detroit, through Southern Ontario and up over to Southern Quebec, but it's too early to tell what it will look like by the time it gets to us.

Here is the extended forecast for Montreal this week, provided by Environment Canada. The weekend stands out as a grey blemish on an otherwise pretty awesome week. 

[rebelmouse-image 26887456 photo_credit="Environment Canada" expand=1 original_size="1115x385"] Environment Canada

As Environment Canada explains, the potentially significant amount of freezing rain coming in on Saturday is bound to make the whole city an ice sculpture.

Great for Instagram but terrible for pretty much everything else.

Then, "strong gusts of 60-70 km/h are expected on Sunday, and may possibly impact icy structures such as tree limbs and power lines."

Heavy, icy branches plus strong gusting winds? 

It's not going to be pretty.

READ ALSO: Farmer's Almanac Predicts A Hotter & Rainier Summer Than Normal In Southern Quebec

The map below shows the other regions, in grey, which are also currently under the special weather statement due to the freezing rain and strong winds expected this weekend.

[rebelmouse-image 26887457 photo_credit="Environment Canada" expand=1 original_size="504x456"] Environment Canada

The freezing rain storm this weekend is expected to move through the following regions:

• Drummondville - Bois-Franc

• Eastern Townships

• Gatineau

• Lachute - Saint-Jérôme

• Lanaudière

• Laurentians

• Metro Montreal - Laval

• Pontiac

• Richelieu Valley - Saint-Hyacinthe

• Upper Gatineau - Lièvre - Papineau

• Vaudreuil - Soulanges - Huntingdon

The two most northern regions in red, Chibougamau and Waskaganish, are under Extreme Cold Warnings... they're living with wind chill values near -38 this morning. 

So, at least we're not dealing with that.

We'll have to wait and see how the storm plays out as it moves up towards Montreal.

If it seems to be getting worse, Environment Canada may up the statement to a Weather Watch or even a Warning, likely depending on the severity of the wind.

We will keep you posted with any updates. You can also follow #QCStorm on Twitter to monitor alerts.