Quebecers were able to get a taste of the storm expected to hit the province Friday morning, with several inches of snow accumulating in some areas during the day Thursday.
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The Montreal region received three to four centimeters of snow from a system that is not directly related to the storm coming from Colorado.
After a short breather in the early evening, 10 to 15 centimeters are expected in the middle of the night. On Friday another ten centimeters have to be added during the day before it’s over in the afternoon.
“It should be completely over by the end of the day, making for a less troublesome return home as there will be no snowfall,” explained Simon Legault, meteorologist at Environment Canada.
Other warnings have been issued by the federal agency for several sectors along the Saint Lawrence Valley where gusts could reach 50 to 60 km/h or even more in the Quebec region.
“It’s a big snowfall, but not as exceptional as what we saw on December 23 before the holiday with the strong winds, it’s really more classic,” said Mr. Legault.
Generally, 15 to 25 centimeters are expected in the province, but Gaspésie and Bas-Saint-Laurent could see larger accumulations of up to 30 centimeters, as could Charlevoix.
The Estrie and Montérégie regions will not escape the freezing rain. “Fortunately, there was snow beforehand, so the fact that it’s very slippery will still limit it,” the meteorologist pointed out.
Residents of Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean and Côte-Nord can take a breather after the latest Bank Holiday storm as they will not be on the path of what is expected on Friday.
Several school boards had not yet planned to close their schools for the next day as of Thursday night but remained on standby and said changes would be communicated around 6am. The Center de services scolaire des Navigateurs between Leclercville and Lévis has decided not to open its schools.
How do you adapt your driving style in a storm?
Not everyone has the luxury of being able to telecommute for the last day in the office of the week. Here are some tips to remember before hitting the road in the storm, according to CAA-Quebec spokesman David Marcille.
– Only get behind the wheel if you cannot postpone your journeys until later
– Prepare your vehicle well by taking the time to de-ice and remove snow
– Keep foot lightly on the pedal: “no sudden braking or acceleration”
– Keep a distance of at least six seconds from the vehicle in front
– Always look where you want and not where the car is going
– No panic