Up to 25 cm of snow expected to fall in Montreal over next two days

The beginning of January is always strange. Some people are back at work, some are enjoying extended holidays. But no matter how you’re starting off the new year, Montreal is expected to get walloped with snow.

According to The Weather Network, the Montreal metro area can expect up to 25 cm of snowfall between Wednesday and Thursday.

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A range of 10 to 15 cm is in the forecast for January 4 followed by another five to 10 cm on January 5.

Temperatures are expected to dip to feel like -3ºC and -6ºC on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, followed by “scattered flurries” heading into the weekend.

The Weather Network

The weather agency is crediting this week’s snowy forecast with a “low-pressure system” moving into the Great Lakes and pushing down into Ontario and Quebec by Tuesday afternoon.

The Weather Network says “multiple systems” may spell the return of a “winter mess” in Quebec and Ontario, citing a “renewed batch” of precipitation, which will push deeper into Quebec on Wednesday afternoon.

Specifically, the agency says the precipitation will fall as a “wintry mix” of freezing rain, snow, and/or ice pellets.

When The Weather Network released its winter weather forecast for Quebec, it called for an “abrupt transition” into a period of wintry weather for most of Quebec.

The agency credits the sudden switch of winter weather patterns to La Niña for the third year in a row.

“This is just the fourth time on record we’ve seen a La Niña event persist for three consecutive years,” says the agency. “In addition, a piece of the polar vortex is expected to be located over northern Canada, providing an abundant source for Arctic air that should frequently plunge south and spread across much of the country.”