A significant thaw announced from Wednesday could threaten winter activities but is welcomed by Hydro Quebec teams responsible for restoring power after the intense winter storm that battered the province just before Christmas.
Posted 6:56am Updated 3:59pm
Starting Wednesday, mercury will rise well above freezing day and night in almost all urban centers in Quebec.
This thaw should last at least four days until New Year’s Eve.
Environment Canada said in its forecast sent out Monday morning that daytime temperatures in Montreal will rise from zero to 9 degrees Celsius and overnight to 7 degrees from Wednesday through Saturday.
Similar conditions will prevail elsewhere. Mercury will rise to 10 degrees in Sherbrooke, 7 degrees in Quebec, 6 degrees in Gatineau, Saguenay, Rimouski and Charlevoix, and 4 degrees in Gaspé.
Environment Canada also forecasts Wednesday through Sunday to be mostly rainy.
Not uncommon, Then what..
While a mild spell in late December or early January is not uncommon, it is likely notable for its duration of well-above freezing temperatures at night, says Environment Canada weather forecaster Julie Deshaies.
“Especially since the maximum daily mean values are -5 degrees Celsius and at night -13 degrees Celsius, while the temperatures there remain above freezing overnight,” she explains.
Consequently, the snow that has fallen in large quantities in recent days is likely to be soaked in addition to the expected rain, putting the structures on which it has accumulated at risk of collapsing.
“In some places we had 60-70 cm of snow. We have to pay attention to the structures. Water accumulation can also occur if the city has not cleared cesspools. There could be some impact on certain waterways, but that remains to be seen,” says Julie Deshaies.
Welcome to hydro-Quebec
At Hydro-Québec, news of this thaw was well received as its teams are still hard at work on the ground to reconnect customers who don’t yet have power.
“It’s designed to help the teams on the ground recover faster, especially when we have to use the helicopters. Today the visibility was perfect, a clear sky, that also helped her a lot,” said Julie Sbeghen, Hydro-Québec’s senior director of operations and maintenance for Centre-du-Québec, in a virtual press conference on Monday.
load snow Montreal
Until then, a snow loading drive will be launched in several Montreal counties starting tonight or tomorrow. This was announced by the city of Montreal in a press release on Monday, after a dozen centimeters of snow had fallen on its territory since last Friday.
The communities affected are:
- Anjou
- The Plateau Mont Royal
- Montreal North
- Outremont
- Riviere des Prairies – Pointe aux Trembles
- Saint Laurent
- Saint Leonard
- Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc extension
- Ahuntsic-Cartierville
- Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
- Pierrefonds-Roxboro
- Rosemont La Petite Patrie
“Because snow levels vary widely by sector and as contemplated by the City of Montreal’s snow removal policy, communities are free to carry out loading operations on their lands as needed,” it said.
With the Canadian Press