Montreal Has A LOT More Precipitation In Store — Here's What You Need To Know
First snow, then rain, then more snow.
Someone walks past cars during a snowstorm.
Don't be fooled by any pause in precipitation — the snowstorm expected to hit Quebec has arrived, cancelling flights and shutting down power grids. It's expected to last through the weekend and will bring plenty of flurries and rainfall.
About 15 millimetres of rain will fall until Friday afternoon, predicts Environment Canada, then snow will take over.
Up to 10 centimetres of snow is forecast overnight into Saturday with some parts of the province seeing closer to 50 centimetres. In the meantime, though, it's going to pour.
"Heavy snow, strong winds, squalls and intense cold are expected on Friday and Saturday," according to MétéoMédia.
Meanwhile, temperatures are falling rapidly. "Ponding water, slush and any falling precipitation will freeze as the temperature drops," warns Environment Canada, when it issued a flash freeze warning for the city.
The temperature drop may cause water from rain and melting snow to quickly freeze on streets and sidewalks, creating a walking and driving hazard.
A graph published by the government agency on Thursday lays out the best time to go out during the storm.
\u201c\u2744\ufe0f \ud83c\udf27\ufe0f \ud83c\udf0a Une importante temp\u00eate apportera des impacts g\u00e9n\u00e9ralis\u00e9s sur l'ensemble de la province \u00e0 partir de ce soir. Voici un sommaire des principaux impacts.\n#MeteoQC\u201d— ECCC M\u00e9t\u00e9o Qu\u00e9bec (@ECCC M\u00e9t\u00e9o Qu\u00e9bec) 1671730924
Motorists should stay extra vigilant over the next few days as snow flurries mixed with strong winds will cause reduced visibility and difficult road conditions through Saturday for most regions.
Strong winds could also lead to more power outages until late in the day on Saturday.
"Outages occur when vegetation comes into contact with the grid following wind gusts. Due to the weather forecast for today and tomorrow, the number of customers without power could continue to increase," said Hydro-Quebec, which on Friday morning was still battling over 100,000 outages across Outaouais, Estrie, Mauricie and the National Capital region.
It's going to be messy weather-wise, but a white Christmas is looking ever more likely. If you want to make the most of all the fluffy white stuff while you wait, at least it's the perfect time to grab your sled and find a hill.
