Weather bomb on Quebec: up to 30 cm of snow

A two-sided system

The system which will deposit moderate amounts of snow in the Outaouais, the Laurentians, Mauricie and Saguenay on Wednesday is the same which will hit the east of the province on Thursday. But he will look like he took steroids during the day on Thursday, because he will be much stronger when he arrives in Bas-Saint-Laurent, Gaspésie and the Côte-Nord.

Coastal reformation

It’s a clipper from Alberta which arrives in Quebec on Wednesday. Typically, it is not heavily loaded with moisture, so the accompanying precipitation is usually moderate. Except that this clipper will pass over the Atlantic, which will allow coastal reformation. The system will therefore draw a little energy from the ocean waters which have retained part of their summer heat. The system will then move back towards eastern Quebec with renewed vigor.

Weather bomb

We speak of a weather bomb when a system experiences a sudden drop in pressure, i.e. a loss of at least 24 hPa (hectopascals) in 24 hours or less. And that’s what’s going to happen with this system. At 1000 hPa on Thursday, the system’s central pressure is expected to increase to 975 hPa in less than 24 hours.

More than 30 cm possible

Snow accumulations will be greater in eastern Quebec by Friday morning. We are talking about 10 to 20 cm for Bas-Saint-Laurent and 15 to 30 cm, and perhaps even more locally, for the Gaspé Peninsula and the North Shore. New Brunswick is also expected to receive up to 30 cm of snow in places.

Prudence

The gusts will make visibility very difficult, so travel may be complicated in these regions of the province. In Gaspésie and on the North Shore, we can expect gusts between 60 and 80 km/h. Unsurprisingly, the Îles-de-la-Madeleine will be lashed with more force, with gusts capable of exceeding 90 km/h.

With the collaboration of Alexandra Giroux, meteorologist.

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