Published on February 29, 2024 at 10:27 p.m.
An exceptional situation and a record could be broken. Forecast.
Dry winter
It's no longer a secret: the winter of 2023/2024 had little snow. The models suggest there will be little snowfall in Quebec in the coming weeks, at least in the most populated regions. On this last meteorological day of winter, the snow cover is relatively thin in several regions, especially in Quebec. This situation is particularly exceptional as we are observing an average of 64 centimeters of snow on the ground at this time.
Accelerated melting
The beginning of the first meteorological month of spring will be characterized by mildness. The cold snap experienced by Quebec will actually be short-lived, as an influx of mild air from the southern United States is expected to cause the mercury to rise persistently for several days. For Quebec, maximum temperatures are expected to exceed the 5°C threshold during this sequence, risking the snowpack falling to zero.
Exceptional location
Although the state of the snowpack in Quebec is exceptional on this last day of February, it is not record-breaking. In this respect, the years 1981 and 1996 are memorable, but in these springs the snow cover had increased again in March. This year the scenario looks very different as mild weather is expected to prevail, which would close the door to possible fresh snowfall.
A month apart
The fastest melt occurred in Quebec in 2010. By March 13th the snow had completely disappeared, while on average the grass did not appear until April 13th. According to the current forecast, it could happen earlier this year.
In collaboration with Patrick Duplessis, meteorologist.