(Quebec) The Christmas holiday is coming earlier than expected for thousands of students across the province as most schools across the province will be closed on Friday due to the threatening storm.
Updated December 22nd
As a preventive measure, the Montreal School Service Center decided to close all of its facilities on Friday. There is no course or distance learning planned for all elementary, secondary and adult students.
This also applies to school service centers Marguerite-Bourgeoys and Pointe-de-l’Île.
In Montreal, residents are being asked to avoid going out on Friday as city maintenance teams anticipate a “major challenge” to keep streets and sidewalks passable for vehicles and pedestrians due to the expected cocktail of weather.
“It’s special because within 24 hours we’re going to experience two seasons of heavy rainfall, both snow and rain,” said Philippe Sabourin, spokesman for the city of Montreal, in a phone interview. “It’s the mix that makes the challenge bigger. »
He reminds us to expect about eight inches of snow and up to four inches of rain. Municipal workers therefore have to first push the snow to clear the streets, but then clear the catch basins so the rain can drain into the storm sewers.
Salt spreading will likely be unnecessary in the first few hours of the storm as the rain then thins everything out. So we’re preparing to start sprinkling fine gravel and saving the salt for later, when temperatures could drop again and turn streets and sidewalks into ice rinks.
From Lac-Saint-Jean to Abitibi, through the Laurentians, Quebec and the Outaouais, many school service centers decided Thursday to close their facilities on Friday.
The school service center Laurentides announced shortly before 4 p.m. that there would be no classes at its schools. “Projections suggest that part of the storm will have its epicenter on our territory. We therefore act preventively for the safety of all our students and staff. More than 40 cm of snow and wind gusts of up to 100 km/h are expected in places. Since the potential for danger is high and we know the reality of our territory, we have decided to close the entire CSSL tomorrow day and evening “, indicates the center’s director general, Sébastien Tardif, in a message sent to parents and students.
In Quebec, the Première-Seigneuries school service center with nearly 30,000 students will close its facilities in light of “the exceptional situation”. The Portneuf School Service Center made the same decision. The Découvertes School Service Center must announce its choice on Friday morning.
In Lac-Saint-Jean, the Pays-des-Bleuets and Lac-Saint-Jean school service centers have decided to close their facilities. This is also the case elsewhere in the province, notably in the School Service Centers of Portages-de-l’Outaouais, Draveurs and Coeur-des-Vallées (Outaouais) and Chemindu-Roy (Mauritius).
The city of Quebec is on alert. Mayor Bruno Marchand wanted to calm down the citizens on Thursday. “The city is ready. The Crisis Unit is activated and ready to take care of the people of Quebec,” said the Quebec Mayor.
Notably, the city has tripled its city forestry watch team as it anticipates several broken branches. The weather forecast predicts gusts of 80 km/h for Friday evening in the capital. Authorities are also concerned about the sequence of snow, then rain, followed by a cooldown. This cocktail could turn the sidewalks into an ice rink.
“The worst case scenario would be 25-30mm of snow, then 20-25mm of rain and after a significant cooldown,” notes Éric Grondin, director of snow clearance management at the City of Quebec.
Pocket your mirrors, screw up your pace
The mayor calls on citizens to cooperate, in particular by leaving their cars in their private or city-provided parking spaces during the snow clearing work.
The city is also asking motorists to lower their mirrors to allow machines to circulate. She also suggests “hanging temporary shelters,” like Tempo shelters.
“We need citizens. These are not usual conditions due to the holiday, weekend. We want people to be able to move to meet each other. It will be Christmas Eve,” noted Mayor Marchand.
The city also asks citizens to arm themselves with candles, batteries and woolen blankets in the event of a power outage.
– With Lea Carrier, La Presse