Almost 30 centimeters of snow in Montreal, more in the Outais: Southern Quebec begins its weekend under a blanket of snow on Saturday, and the flakes continue to pile up.
Quebecers in many southern regions of the province woke up Saturday morning to a thick white carpet. In Montreal, snow accumulations vary from 20 to 30 centimeters, says Julien Chartrand, a meteorologist with Environment Canada. It is a few centimeters higher than originally planned.
The city announced midway through the first full day of snow loading operations of the season, which will begin gradually through Monday.
And the scales continue to settle. Another 5 to 10 centimeters is expected by the end of the day on Saturday in the metropolis, he warned. Rainfall intensity should decrease during the day in Lanaudière, Laurentians, Montreal and Outaouais.
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Photo by Josie Desmarais, The Press
In Montreal, snow accumulations vary from 20 to 30 centimeters.
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Photo by Josie Desmarais, The Press
Another 5 to 10 centimeters is expected in the metropolis by the end of the day on Saturday.
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Many areas in the south of the province, such as Estrie, Montérégie, Laurentides, Lanaudière, Mauricie and Centre-du-Québec, also received significant amounts of snow, varying from 10 to 30 centimeters depending on the department.
It was in Ottawa that the snowfall was most impressive: 38 centimeters of accumulation was recorded at the Ottawa Airport on Saturday morning. On the other side of the Ottawa River, in Gatineau, about thirty centimeters of snow has settled.
Storm arrives in Quebec
In the Capital-National region, snow is just beginning. Snowflakes started early in the morning in Quebec, Mr Chartrand notes. A further 10 to 15 centimeters is expected by next night.
The system will gradually move towards the east of the province but will lose its intensity, says the meteorologist. The Bas-Saint-Laurent and Gaspésie regions can expect around ten centimeters of snow starting Sunday.
However, the northern shore of the Caspian Sea can receive more snow due to its geographical position. Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, Gaspé, Percé and Murdochville are currently under a special weather report predicting significant snow on Monday.
Airport delays, road delays
This widening continues to cause many flight delays and cancellations at Montreal’s Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau Airport.
Rainfall can also affect visibility on provincial roads. As of Saturday, the Sûreté du Québec is still reporting road trips, but no major accidents.
According to the interactive map of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, on Saturday morning, visibility was reduced on some roads in Estrie and Haute-Laurentides.
This accumulation of snow, while delighting winter sports enthusiasts, puts the province in a good position to celebrate a white Christmas next week, Mr Chartrand confirms.
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