Published on February 28, 2024 at 8:23 p.m.
Strong winds and sudden cooling cause problems. Forecast.
Violent cold front
Quebec has not experienced a situation like this for some time. A stark contrast in temperatures will be felt across all regions as the cold front sweeps across the province from west to east. A sudden cold warning has been issued. The northwest was the first region to feel the effects.
Record temperature drop
This Wednesday, February 28, Val-d'Or recorded the fastest drop in temperature in history, breaking the old record set in 1970. In just one hour, the city lost 17.4 ° C, from 7.2 ° C -10.2°C. On February 2, 1970, a drop in temperature of 17.2 °C was recorded (from 1.1 °C to -16.1 °C).
The South is no exception
The cold front is sweeping across Quebec from west to east and the south of the province is not immune. In the Greater Montreal area, the decline will be brutal, but more gradual. A drop of almost 20 degrees is expected in a dozen hours. On Wednesday evening around 2:00 a.m. it should be around -10°C. A maximum of 13°C was measured on Wednesday afternoon.
Thousands of breakdowns
You need to pay attention to the formation of ice on the surfaces. Your car doors can freeze very quickly. In addition, strong winds caused hundreds of thousands of power outages in Quebec. These service interruptions primarily affected subscribers in Montreal, Montérégie, Outaouais and the Laurentians. However, as the front moves east, other areas could be hit. The south of the province recorded strong winds this Wednesday. Gusts of 106 km/h were blowing at Saint-Hubert Airport.
The REM is broken
REM users found themselves between heaven and earth this Wednesday due to glitches and strong winds. Trains were stopped on the Samuel De Champlain Bridge for about two hours.
In collaboration with meteorologists Réjean Ouimet and Patrick Duplessis.