Back-to-back weekend systems bring a slippery risk of rain and snow to Quebec
This weekend’s forecast holds a two-for-one special across Quebec as a duo of systems sweeps across the province in quick succession.
Widespread rain will arrive in southern Quebec during the day Saturday. Shifting winds will drag colder air into the region overnight Saturday into Sunday, forcing precipitation to switch to snow as we end the weekend.
Prepare for travel delays this weekend as slippery roads develop beneath bursts of heavier snowfall.
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Saturday and Saturday night: Rain arrives through the day
A low-pressure system moving through Ontario will spill rain into southern Quebec by Saturday afternoon, spreading from west to east through the late afternoon hours. We’ll see rain build into Gatineau by late afternoon, while Montreal won't be seeing the rain until the early evening.
Temperatures will be cold enough at the start for heavy snow to develop across northwestern Quebec, while regions north of Montreal and at higher elevations may start off as flurries.
Rain will change over to snow on Saturday night as a wind shift forces colder temperatures into southern Quebec.
Most communities across Montreal, the Eastern Townships, Quebec City, and areas farther north and west will transition from rain to wet snow by Saturday night. Heavy snow is likely for some areas through the overnight hours.
Road conditions will quickly deteriorate Saturday night as the wintry precipitation takes hold.
Sunday: Snow continues, switch back to rain possible
Precipitation will continue across southern and eastern Quebec into Sunday, and things will get more complex as temperatures fluctuate across the region.
Folks along and east of the St. Lawrence, including around Montreal and Quebec City, will wake up to snow on Sunday morning. There’s a risk that rising temperatures around Metro Montreal and the Eastern Townships could force a switch back to rain on Sunday.
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We’ll see the heaviest snow move up the St. Lawrence toward Quebec City and Rimouski through the day Sunday.
Precipitation will gradually taper off to flurries from south to north throughout Sunday as the storm heads north out of Quebec.
Exact snowfall totals are tricky to pinpoint due to changing temperatures and the risk for precipitation for snow to switch to rain across portions of southern Quebec. Some of the snow that falls will likely melt on contact with the ground, limiting the total accumulation.
The Montreal area could see higher snowfall totals if the switch back over to rain holds off longer than anticipated. However, snowfall totals for the city could be vastly changed from on a degree or two of temperature fluctuation.
The best opportunity for shovellable snow exists north and east of the St. Lawrence, including near Quebec City and along the Gaspé Peninsula, as well as communities throughout northwestern Quebec toward Val-d’Or.
Looking ahead, early next week will see conditions on the cooler side of seasonal, then then trending warmer with well above-seasonal temperatures for a few days ahead of another system late next week or next weekend.
A much colder pattern is expected to develop around the official first day of spring, continuing through the end of March and into early April.
Check back through the weekend for all the latest on your forecast across Quebec.
