‘Critical’ freezing rain expected in Montreal this week

Montreal could see up to 30 millimetres of freezing rain, which could lead to power outages and transit delays.

A chance of potentially “critical freezing rain” is being forecast for the Greater Montreal from Wednesday to Thursday, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).

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Total accumulations of 20 to 30 millimetres of freezing rain could be expected, the agency notes, lasting up to 24 hours and possibly paralyzing some services.

“Conditions will remain cold in subsequent days, which may complicate and delay the full return to normal services,” ECCC states. “There will likely be transportation delays and cancellations. Surfaces will become icy and increase the risk of falls and injuries.”

Areas that could be affected include Greater Montreal, Montérégie, Outaouais, Laurentians, Lanaudière, Mauricie, Centre-du-Québec and the Quebec City region.

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“Ice accretion increases the risk of breaking tree branches,” ECCC states. “Consider delaying or cancelling any non-essential travel.”

The agency adds that the weather may cause prolonged power outages.

Ice storm

One weather expert estimates that the deluge of freezing rain could be as devastating as the 2023 ice storm that led to widespread power outages in Quebec and Ontario.

“With the new analysis of the weather guidance today, our teams of forecasters decided to issue the orange freezing rain warning,” said Julien Pellerin, a meteorologist with ECCC. “The level of confidence is rather high for that event.”

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On Monday afternoon, the agency upgraded its weather warning from yellow to orange, meaning severe weather “is likely to cause significant damage, disruption, or health impacts,” which could last a few days.

ECCC describes the storm as potentially “critical” due to the possibility of prolonged power outages and damage to property and trees under the weight of accumulated ice.

Pellerin says the system is likely comparable to the major ice storm of April 5, 2023, which dumped more than 30 millimetres of freezing rain in Montreal, leaving more than one million Hydro-Quebec customers without power and damaging trees.

Clean-up after the storm took weeks, and three deaths were recorded in Quebec and Ontario.

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“The orange level means we are expecting impacts, but also that the recovery time will be longer,” explained Pellerin. “It might actually take several days before daily life will become normal again.”

ECCC says that colder weather expected later this week could also complicate and delay the return to normal services.

Transportation delays are also likely.

All the same, the forecast is not calling for strong winds, which Pellerin says may reduce the storm’s impact on the region.

REM crews on alert

The operator of the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) says it is monitoring the impact of the weather on the light-rail network.

Pulsar said in a statement that trains are expected to run Tuesday night into Wednesday to limit ice buildup on the catenary, which is the REM’s power supply line.

“Since the beginning of winter, Pulsar teams have developed new techniques to better deal with freezing rain,” Pulsar said. “We are monitoring the situation hour by hour and will keep REM users informed of developments regarding service status as the weather evolves.”

With files from CTV News’ Lauren Fernandez