Brr! Quebec Braces for a Winter That’s Less “Meh” and More “Maybe-Can-Die-In-Here”!
So, folks, grab your thermal underwear and earmuffs because this winter, it seems, is ready to put you in a freezing headlock! According to Jean-Philippe Bégin, the meteorological guru from Environment Canada, we’re in for a more typical winter in Quebec—which, let’s be honest, is just a posh way of saying: “Brace yourselves, it’s going to be bloody cold!”
Now, this isn’t any old ordinary winter; it’s one with a twist—thanks to a little phenomenon called La Niña, which sounds like a character from a telenovela but is actually a weather pattern that could leave us shivering in our snow boots.
La Niña: Not Your Friendly Neighbourhood Superhero
If you thought last winter was mild enough to put a polar bear into hibernation, this time around we’re looking at a cool down, courtesy of our old frenemy, La Niña. The American climate prediction center NOAA reports a 60% likelihood we’ll be wrestling with La Niña this fall, and it might just stick around like that one friend who won’t take a hint until March 2025.
As Jean-Philippe explained, La Niña pushes warm water towards the western Pacific, leaving behind a frosty patch in the east. Think of it as the ocean’s way of playing freeze tag, and, unfortunately, we’re all “it” when it comes to colder temperatures.
Expect the Unexpected: The Winter of 2025
Winter 2024 stands not a chance against the incoming chill. Mr. Bégin stated it was a warm one, ranking up there with the top three mildest winters in Quebec’s history. We’re talking a winter where temperatures didn’t dip below -20°C at the Montreal airport. Here’s hoping that ice-skating will have to include skids to contrast those swathes of thawed asphalt!
But hold on a second! Before you go packing away your shorts and pulling out the snow shovel, Quebec is still enjoying some relatively pleasant weather at the moment. Sun and temperatures hovering between 15°C and 20°C are gracing us for a little while longer, which means you’ve still got time for picnics—so get those sandwiches out!
Gear Up for Winter Wonderland
Despite the good news about the current weather, it’s never too early to prepare. You know what they say: fail to plan, and you’ll be slipping around on the ice like a seal on rollerblades!
Check out the best winter boots for women, and invest in crampon boots to prevent dramatic falls that could leave you with both a bruised ego and a broken leg. And let’s be honest, the only thing worse than being cold is being cold and embarrassed!
So, strap in, Quebecers! Amidst the impending arctic blast, let’s keep our spirits high, our hats snug, and just maybe, plan a winter fondue party to keep the frostbite at bay. Because if we’re going to endure this weather, we might as well enjoy some melted cheese while we’re at it!
According to an expert, a weather phenomenon could cause a more intense winter than last year. Here’s what to expect.
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Quebecers will have to fasten their hats with a spit this winter since a weather phenomenon could cause greater cooling in the coming months. “We must expect a winter that is much less warm than [l’an] last year, a much more typical Quebec winter,” declared Jean-Philippe Bégin, meteorologist at Environment Canada in an interview with LCN on Friday.
What will winter 2025 be like in Quebec?
The American climate prediction center NOAA mentioned that there is a 60% chance that a weak La Niña episode will develop this fall and which could last until March 2025.
“We are going to push more warm water towards the western Pacific […] therefore, it creates an area of cold water in the east [de l’océan]», explained Mr. Bégin.
“Areas near this cold water zone will be influenced by colder temperatures. With us, the correlation is much more diffuse, it is less clear,” he added.
This phenomenon is the opposite of El Niño, which produces higher than normal water temperatures in the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean.
The winter of 2024 is not “comparable” to the one that is approaching, according to the expert.
It was “quite exceptional, in the top three of the mildest winters ever recorded in Quebec. We didn’t even observe a temperature below -20°C at the Montreal airport all last winter,” said Jean-Philippe Bégin.
Normally, this temperature is reached a dozen times.
“We should expect to be a little colder this year,” he warned.
However, the weather will remain more pleasant for the next few days, with temperatures varying between 15°C and 20°C for the majority of Quebecers. The sun will be out until Tuesday.
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