False signs of late winter in Quebec

Winter installation

Winter in Quebec often begins and ends with fits. Although the cold season can make its presence felt in early November, to give a final kickoff, this scenario turns out to be very rare. Thus, we define false positives by winter shocks, which take the province by surprise and then cause a sudden change in the quiescent sequence regime. So winter is long.

“We often define the onset of winter conditions by a combination of converging factors,” explains meteorologist Régène Ouimet. Temperatures below freezing are permanent or almost permanent. Continual snow, the first snowfall, and finally snow that covers the ground permanently. The scene runs from north to south. »

Winter is late

Southern Quebec has experienced some late winters recently. When we say late, we mean very late. In fact, in those years, the cold season actually started at the end of December.

“For Montreal, four times since 2010 we’ve been late in winter,” explains Réjean Ouimet. The first signs leading to an official onset can appear early and be misleading. This is November special. These are often mild autumns and the effects of the cold are rather diluted and isolated. »

Deceptive snow

November snow is very real in Quebec, whether we like it or not. The fact that it appears early in the season with surprising widths does not guarantee the onset of winter. With a mild fall, nature bounces back quickly after a surprising winter shock. These symptoms prove disappointing in these cases, but they exist despite the tendency to tenderness.

“The menu also includes the popular broadsides that immerse us in the winter setting in these late winter years,” continues Régène Ouimet. As a general rule in Quebec, we see four occasions of 15 cm or more in November. In four years of study, we had between 3 or 4 broadsides in November. Mild weather tends to clear these broadsides quickly. So no fixed page.