Expect a messy weekend of travelling in Quebec with blast of rain and snow

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Similar to Ontario, Quebec will be hit with a shot of spring and winter conditions this weekend, likely to put a damper on any travelling excursions.

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Snowfall warnings and special weather statements are in place, as the province is welcoming two systems Saturday and Sunday. Heavy rain is expected for many to start before switching to snow as temperatures drop Saturday overnight. Some areas in the south could see a change back to rain on Sunday.

Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions as precipitation switches, especially on Sunday. Prepare for quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions. Consider modifying any non-essential travel plans.

Saturday: Rain arrives before changing to snow

A low-pressure system moving through Ontario spilled rain into southern Quebec Saturday afternoon, and will spread from west to east through the late-afternoon period, while Montreal won't be seeing the rain until the early evening.

Due to the temperatures, the storm will like begin as a wintry mix for Quebec City, but it’ll quickly change over to heavy snowfall soon after.

Rain will change over to snow on Saturday night into the pre-dawn hours Sunday morning as a wind shift forces colder temperatures into southern Quebec, including Montreal and the surrounding region.

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 on Sunday, as 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, as well as the Eastern Townships, will be waking up to a burst of heavy snowfall rates of several centimetres per hour.

The heaviest snowfall will then move up the St. Lawrence River corridor, extending into Quebec City as Sunday progresses.

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Periods of snowfall will hand on across the Eastern Townships and Montreal through Sunday evening.

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 come in much lower based on a temperature difference of just one or two degrees.

As of now, the latest models are keeping Montreal in the snow, possibly increasing projected totals. Even a minuscule temperature change of a degree or two can greatly affect snowfall totals in Montreal. However, it’s looking like more than 10 cm of snowfall will fall downtown Montreal and more than 20 cm for the northern section of the city.

The best opportunity for heavier 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.

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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.

Thumbnail courtesy of Ritza Vieux.

Check back through the weekend for all the latest on your forecast across Quebec.

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