The Quebec hit by its first storm of 2018

QMI agency

Thursday, January 4, 2018 07:34

UPDATE
Thursday, January 4, 2018 07:36

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The bomb weather that plagued the east coast of the u.s. was expected to hit Quebec on Thursday evening. It will be the first storm of the year 2018.

The authorities monitor also closely monitoring the situation in the east of the province, where it waits for possible excessive waves and overflows, coastal.

At the end of the day Thursday, strong winds, or even “violent”, and the heavy snow will be the law. Gusts between 70 and 90 km/h may blow on the Bas-Saint-Laurent, Gaspésie and Côte-Nord until Saturday.

Environment Canada estimates that between 15 and 25 centimetres of snow should fall on the Bas-Saint-Laurent and Gaspésie. The tip of the Gaspé could, for its part, receive up to 50 centimetres.

Less snow in the south-west

The south-west of Québec should escape the bulk of the storm. Environment Canada predicts accumulations of 5 to 10 centimetres of snow to Montreal, and from 10 to 15 in Quebec city. The eastern Townships must receive accumulations of 15 to 20 centimeters.

“On the south of Quebec, is expected to receive five to ten inches of snow, but it has nothing to do with what is happening at the current time [on the east coast of the u.s.] or what will happen in eastern Quebec,” says Environment Canada meteorologist Jean-Philippe Bégin.

Environment Canada is advising motorists to postpone any non-essential movement until the road conditions improve.

In addition, smog warnings are in effect for the metropolitan area, Saint-Jérôme and Lachute, Lanaudière, Saint-Hyacinthe, and Vaudreuil.

Disturbances to the Montreal airport

The effects of the storm that is raging in the United States are already being felt at the airport of Montreal. Dozens of flights are delayed or cancelled outright.

The disturbances affect as many arrivals as departures. In fact, several flights which were to arrive early in the day from the north-east u.s. (Boston, Newark, New York, Philadelphia) have been cancelled.

Flights from Montreal who have been cancelled have been dozens and affect the destinations in the north-eastern United States than eastern Canada, such as Moncton, Bathurst, Charlottetown and Fredericton.

Travellers who have to catch a plane on Thursday are asked to contact their airline or visit the web site of the Airports of Montreal, to confirm their time of departure.