Potentially crippling freezing rain could coat large parts of southern Quebec in thick ice later this week, threatening to disrupt transportation, damage trees and power lines, and leave some residents without electricity for extended periods.
Environment officials issued a special weather warning early Monday morning, advising that 20 to 30 millimetres of freezing rain could fall between Wednesday and Thursday across several regions.
The affected areas include Greater Montreal, Montérégie, Outaouais, the Laurentians, Lanaudière, Mauricie, Centre-du-Québec and the Quebec City region.
Forecasters say the freezing rain could last up to 24 hours, creating dangerous travel conditions and potentially paralyzing some services. Authorities are urging residents to consider delaying or cancelling non-essential travel during the storm.
Ice accumulation of that magnitude can weigh down tree branches and power lines and prolonged power outages.
Complicating the recovery, temperatures are expected to remain cold in the days following the storm, which could slow cleanup efforts and delay the return of normal transportation and utility services.
The freezing rain is expected after several relatively mild days to start the week.
Monday in the Montreal area is forecast to be mainly cloudy before clearing in the afternoon, with winds becoming southwest at 30 km/h gusting to 60 and a high of 14 Celsius. Monday night will bring a few clouds and fog patches with a low of 7 C.
Tuesday should see a mix of sun and cloud with a high of 12 C before conditions begin to deteriorate Tuesday night, when precipitation is expected to begin as rain or snow with temperatures dropping to around 0 C.
By Wednesday, temperatures hovering near the freezing mark are expected to turn the precipitation into freezing rain, continuing into Wednesday night before possibly mixing with rain.
The system is expected to transition to periods of snow and windy conditions Thursday, followed by a sharp drop in temperatures, with overnight lows forecast to fall to around minus–12 C.
Residents are advised to monitor updated forecasts and prepare for potential outages, hazardous roads and disruptions to public transit and other services.
