Montreal’s about to get smacked with another heavy dose of freezing rain and ice

Just when you thought winter was finally loosening its grip, Montreal is about to get another reminder of who’s still in charge.

Environment Canada issued a special weather statement Monday morning, warning of freezing rain returning to the Montreal area — because apparently, we haven’t had enough of that this season.

What’s coming

The statement, issued at 8:17 a.m. on March 30, warns of freezing rain that could deposit a total of 5 to 10 millimetres of ice across various southern Quebec regions, such as Montreal, Lanaudière, Lachute and Montérégie. The icy conditions are expected in two waves: Tuesday morning and then again overnight Tuesday night.

The silver lining, if you can call it that, is that temperatures will be hovering close to the freezing point, which could limit the severity of the impacts. Still, Environment Canada is warning that roads and sidewalks could become icy, making travel difficult, and power outages are possible.

The full forecast

Today is actually a decent send-off before things go sideways. Expect a mix of sun and cloud giving way to cloudier skies this afternoon, with southwest winds gusting to 50 km/h and a high of 14°C. Tonight, periods of rain move in near midnight as winds shift to the northeast.

Tuesday is the messy one. Rain or freezing rain is expected to wind down near noon, with a high of only 2°C and northeast winds gusting to 50 km/h.

After that, Wednesday brings cloudy skies, a high of 7°C, and a nighttime low of -4°C. That should mark the last time temps dip below zero this week.

From Thursday onward, it’s rain on repeat as the mercury climbs back up, hitting 15°C by Friday and staying in double digits through the weekend.

Stay safe out there

While spring is officially here (at least on paper), you may want to bring the winter boots back out on Tuesday. If you’re heading out in the morning, give yourself extra time and watch your step on sidewalks and stairs.