Quebec | Capricious weather and breakdowns
Quebec is treated to quite a meteorological cocktail on Friday, when strong winds reaching 90 km/h followed a few episodes of black ice the previous night in the south of the province, causing numerous power outages.
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“Attach loose objects!” », Warns Environment Canada in its weather alert for the south of the province. Strong southeast winds are blowing and will shift to the southwest Friday evening. They will gradually decrease in intensity Saturday morning.
Around 10:30 a.m. Friday, Hydro-Québec reported some 61,000 homes without electricity due to 202 interruptions. It is in Montérégie, with 27,821 households affected, that we find the most breakdowns.
Three school service centers in Mauricie, representing 46 establishments, have also announced the closure of their schools due to difficult road conditions affecting school transportation. The Ministry of Transport also warns from the outset on its site that this weather cocktail could “result in slippery roads and reduced visibility in places”.
One lane of Highway 40, heading west near Yamachiche, was also closed from 8:12 a.m. due to a road exit. Several sections of road are also closed in Nord-du-Québec due to difficult road conditions.
Heavy rain warnings could also have major impacts in some regions, warns Environment Canada. With the ground and waterways frozen, forecast precipitation of 60 mm especially north of Quebec could cause local flooding and accumulation of water on the roads.
While the temperatures forecast for Friday are exceptionally mild in the south, reaching for example 12 degrees Celsius in Montreal by mid-morning, a sudden cooling is expected at the end of the day which will transform this water into ice. With the winds, the wind chill forecast in the metropolitan area will be -16 overnight.
With the collaboration of Pierre-André Normandin, The Press
