Cross-country skiing, sledding, skating, hockey… Many Montrealers took advantage of the mild weather to practice various winter activities in the City’s parks this Saturday, before polar cold fell on the region at the start of the week.
Posted at 4:00 p.m.
Maisonneuve Park was teeming with skiers, runners and other bundled-up visitors Saturday morning, at a time when a mild spell was causing the mercury to rise to around 0°C in Montreal. The mild temperature will, however, end on Monday, when a polar cold snap could cause temperatures to drop to nearly -35°C in the greater metropolitan area, according to Environment Canada.
Further north, extreme cold warnings have already been issued for the Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean regions. These alerts are issued when a temperature of -38°C or lower is announced. “The warning may extend further south as the hours pass,” warns Antoine Petit, meteorologist at Environment Canada.
Vincent Séguin and his son Albin were among those who took advantage of the slopes of Maisonneuve Park late in the morning. It was only the four-year-old’s second time cross-country skiing, but he was already a few meters ahead of his father, his eyes glued to the path ahead. “He can’t wait to go down the slope that’s coming a little further!” That’s why he’s going so fast,” explained Vincent Séguin.
Not far behind them, aboard a utility vehicle, blue-collar workers Marie-Claude Champagne and Davide Pirri maintained the cross-country ski trails with a groomer. “It’s not nothing, we start at 7 a.m. and we do tours until 4 p.m.,” added the City of Montreal employee.
Some chose to have fun on the ice of the Maisonneuve Park ice rink, rather than in the snow. For the 2-year-old daughter of Marie-Claudine Huard and Olivier Archambault, it was a very first skating outing. His little brother, a few months old, let himself be guided by his father, in the warmth of his stroller.
And the ice rink didn’t just appeal to humans. Stéphanie Bonsaint’s dogs were also able to enjoy the ice, held on a leash by their master and her friend Anna Boyer. “I’m not the best skater, so maybe they’ll help me move forward,” she laughed.
At Lafond Park, in Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie, several children and their parents were sliding down a hill on tubes provided by the borough. “The weather is nice, we have nothing else planned today, and since we live next door, it’s the ideal activity,” shared Cindy Blanchette, who accompanied her son Ludovic.
And to the great joy of hockey players, the cold weather at the beginning of January allowed beautiful ice to form on the park’s ice rink, where a handful of skaters passed the puck to each other.
Storm expected
Many regions of Quebec could be affected overnight from Sunday to Monday by a snowstorm which could leave behind between 10 and 20 centimeters of snow. The precipitation will be accompanied by strong winds which could cause heavy blowing snow in certain areas, warn Environment Canada.
The main regions affected by the storm will be Estrie, Chaudière-Appalaches, Gaspésie and the North Shore.
Environment Canada also issued extreme cold warnings for the Prairies and parts of Quebec and Ontario. Temperatures could drop below -40 in some parts of the country, including northern Alberta and most of Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Extreme cold could persist through the weekend, lasting into Wednesday.
With The Canadian Press
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