Tricky travel Friday as messy mix of heavy snow, ice and rain hit Quebec
Widespread winter storm warnings are in effect across Quebec as snowfall rates and accumulations will make for dicey travel throughout the day on Friday.
"Rapidly accumulating snow could make travel difficult over some locations," says Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) in the warning. "There may be a significant impact on rush hour traffic in urban areas."
The deteriorating conditions forced central Quebec and Eastern Townships school boards to close their doors first thing Friday. In Montreal, schools opted to remain open, though with the potential for bus delays.
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Precipitation type and amounts are sensitive to the storm’s precise track in setups like this. As of early Friday morning, Montreal had already picked up more than 10 cm of snow.
The axis of heaviest snow will trace the St. Lawrence River from the provincial border up the length of the Gaspé, exposing most of Quebec’s population to a period of heavy snow Friday through Saturday morning.
As a result, widespread snow totals of 25-35 cm are set to blanket the Montreal area through the end of the storm, with 25-40 cm possible up the St. Lawrence toward Quebec City. Portions of the Gaspé Peninsula could see 50+ cm.
Folks across the Eastern Townships can now expect 15-25 cm of snow during the storm, with lower totals south and east of Sherbrooke. Periods of freezing rain and ice pellets could hit the region as well.
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The good news is, this storm will be short-lived. Temperatures will become much colder this weekend, though with sunny conditions throughout. Daytime highs will quickly rebound above seasonal again for next week, but the active pattern will continue with a few more Colorado lows tracking into the region every few days.
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Stay with The Weather Network for the latest updates on the snow across Quebec.
