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.
In its forecast sent out Monday morning, Environment Canada says daytime temperatures will rise from 0 to 9 ℃ and overnight to 7 ℃ in Montreal between Wednesday and Saturday.
Similar conditions will prevail elsewhere. Mercury will rise to 10℃ in Sherbrooke, 7℃ in Quebec, 6℃ in Gatineau, Saguenay, Rimouski and Charlevoix, and 4℃ in Gaspé.
Environment Canada also forecasts Wednesday through Sunday to be mostly rainy.
Not uncommon, Then what..
While a hot spell in late December or early January is not uncommon, it is likely characterized by sustained temperatures well above freezing at night, said Environment Canada meteorologist Julie Deshaies.
“Especially as the maximum averages are -5℃ during the day and -13℃ at night, while temperatures there stay above freezing even overnight,” she said.
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’s swamps have not been cleared. 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, so that too, that helps a lot,” said Hydro-Québec senior director of operations and maintenance for Centre-du-Québec, Julie Sbeghen, in a virtual news conference on Monday.
load snow Montreal
By then, a snow loading operation had been launched in several Montreal counties as of Monday evening or this Tuesday morning. 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