In summary :
- Multiple systems are expected;
- The first will hit the province on Monday;
- Rain is on the menu.
The jet stream conveniently installed over Quebec means that several depressions will be heading towards La Belle province in the next few days.
First on the list is a depression originating in western Canada. It will enter Quebec through the Northwest Gate on Monday afternoon before continuing its course towards the St. Lawrence Valley. The southern and central regions will be affected by the end of the day on Tuesday. As is fitting, Eastern Quebec is last on the list and will feel the impact more strongly on Wednesday. Bad weather should be modest.
No rest! Another depression from Colorado will hit on Wednesday. Like the recent riots, Quebec should be split in two: rain in the south and snow in the far north. In fact, temperatures well above freezing are not conducive to snowflake formation for some regions. This mild air mass should be moving quite far north, so most sectors should be entitled to rain.
Good accumulations
This succession of systems will allow Quebec to collect a lot of rainfall. Overall, around thirty millimeters of rain are possible by Thursday, especially in the metropolitan area.
For northern regions, that could mean about a foot more accumulated on the ground through Thursday.
Snow is rare in several regions of southern and central Quebec at this time. After a hot start in mid-November, the flakes gave way to liquid precipitation. On average, Montreal is entitled to 4 inches of snow in early December. The same scenario on the side of Quebec, which is also suffering from a deficit.
In eastern Quebec, on the other hand, more snow is accumulating than usual. No less than a foot covers the floor of Sept-Îles.
Another glitch on the radar
Towards the end of the week, the trend could reverse. Another fairly powerful low-pressure system could leave snow – and that includes southern Quebec. The situation will be monitored over the next few days.