In addition to meals and gifts, Quebecers should also provide themselves with a survival kit to survive the storm that threatens the province as Christmas approaches, and which could cause numerous power outages.
Here is a summary of the phenomena to take into account to plan your New Year’s Eve at best.
Vents forts
Strong winds will blow everywhere in Quebec, except in the extreme north of the province, likely causing large-scale power outages. The north shore of the river, where the winds are expected to be more violent, could be the most affected.
“We mobilize our teams in advance, we have already called back teams and employees who, in some cases, had planned holidays for the holidays, we make sure that we will have enough people to intervene and we ensure that we have all the necessary equipment,” explained a Hydro-Québec agent, who expects citizens to spend Christmas Eve in the dark.
Environment Canada is already anticipating these outages and advising people to be prepared: “We have to expect, or at least be prepared, because there is definitely the possibility of having to deal with long-term power outages, so what we want to send as a message to the population is to prepare a kit to have what you need for at least 72 hours,” said Jean-Philippe Bégin, meteorologist at Environment Canada.
Black ice
The storm is expected to start Thursday evening for the south and west of the province. Snowfall is expected first, followed by rain showers for regions south of the river, including Greater Montreal and Estrie.
The return to negative temperatures from Friday at the end of the day combined with snowfall will make the roads very slippery.
“When we have precipitation in the form of snow when we go back down below 0, it’s the perfect recipe for having ice rinks, both on the sidewalks and on the roads, and there in addition we continue to accumulate snow so really difficult conditions, ”warned Jean-Philippe Bégin.
Snow
The Outaouais, the Laurentians and the Hautes-Laurentides, as well as the Mauricie, northern Quebec and Charlevoix, as well as the Haute-Côte-Nord up to Sept-Îles could receive up to 50 centimeters of snow in places.
We will therefore have to expect almost zero visibility, strong to violent winds and some roads could even be closed between Charlevoix and the North Shore, or even the Laurentians.
Tides
Eastern Quebec will also have to deal with coastal overflows, caused by strong winds and particularly high tidal ranges at this time.
“It is a conjecture by pure chance which exacerbates the situation, even as far as Quebec, we risk having overflows”, warned Mr. Bégin, who added that this situation was to be monitored between Friday and Saturday during high tides. “The further east you go, the later it is on Friday,” he said.
For your travels, Environment Canada advises to leave Thursday, before the storm, or Saturday afternoon, with caution. Friday is to be avoided everywhere on the roads. The eastern part of the province will have a reprieve as the winds will start at midday on Friday.
What to put in your survival kit according to Environment Canada and Hydro-Quebec:
• Eau
• Light: avoid candles, prefer flashlights
• First aid kit
• Blankets
• Plan B where to take refuge if you have no electricity, especially for those who need medical devices
• Spare batteries for mobile devices, so as to follow the evolution on the Info-pannes application
• Medications
• Anything that can help you live for at least 72 hours