Extreme cold warnings blanket the province of Quebec
After an extremely mild month of January, the province is bracing for a blast of arctic air that will move in tonight and last until Saturday. Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued extreme cold warnings that covers most of the province with wind chills expected to be between -38 and -42 across the South and -50 across Northern Quebec.
Extreme cold warnings are in effect across Quebec on Feb. 2, 2023.
An aggressive arctic front will push across the province on Thursday. The front will produce intense snow squalls that could cause near-zero visibility at times on the roads. Montreal is expecting flurries during the day with the intense burst of snow in time for the evening rush hour.
Futurecast for Feb. 2, 2023.
Environment Canada has issued snow squall watches across Southwestern Quebec warning motorists to be prepared for rapidly changing weather conditions resulting in hazardous travel as result of whiteouts, and possible black ice.
Behind the front, temperatures will drop rapidly Thursday night. Montreal will go from a high of -1C Thursday evening, to a low of -21 C in a matter of hours.
The night planner for Feb. 2, 2023.
The front will open the door to the polar vortex. Montreal will not only see its coldest air of the season, but its coldest air in years. The temperature on Friday night will drop to -27 C and the wind will make it feel closer to -40. The mercury is expected to stay below -20 C during the day on Saturday and the wind chill is expected to be around -30. Temperatures will begin to rise Saturday night.
Weekend weather forecast for Montreal on Feb. 2, 2023.
The last time Montreal recorded a daytime high below -20 C was on January 6, 2018.
Fortunately, the extreme cold will be short-lived. Temperatures will bounce back above the freezing mark on Sunday with about five centimetres of snow and milder air is in the foreacast for next week.
The seven-day forecast for the Montreal area starting Feb. 2, 2023.
The arctic air comes after a month of really mild temperatures in the province. Montreal saw a mean temperature of -4.6 C, which is more than five degrees above average. Snowfall for the city was nearly double the normal.
Temperatures and snowfall notes for Feb. 2, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Biden is coming to Canada: Here's what we know about his visit
U.S. President Joe Biden is coming to Canada Thursday evening, kicking off his short but long-awaited official visit to Canada. Here's what CTV News has confirmed about what will be on the agenda, and what key players are saying about the upcoming visit.

What are the predictions for Canada's real estate market this spring?
The Canadian real estate market has been sluggish since last year, when prospective buyers started putting off plans to purchase homes as the Bank of Canada aggressively hiked interest rates eight consecutive times. But realtors see many edging toward a purchase once more.
Canada broke a population growth record in 2022: StatCan
Canada's population grew by more than one million over the course of one calendar year, breaking previous records, a new Statistics Canada report says.
5 planets will align in an arc across the night sky next week
Sky-gazers will be treated to a parade of planets near the end of month when Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Uranus and Mars will appear together in the night sky.
Federal government allowing Ukrainians overseas to apply for free emergency visa until mid-July
The federal government will give Ukrainians until mid-July to apply for a free temporary visa to Canada under an emergency program brought in place last year following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Prince William visits troops in Poland on surprise trip
Prince William made an unannounced trip to Poland on Wednesday to thank British and Polish troops involved in providing support to Ukraine, before meeting refugees who have fled the conflict with Russia to hear of their experiences.
AP sources: Manhattan DA postpones Trump grand jury session
Manhattan prosecutors postponed a scheduled grand jury session Wednesday in the investigation into Donald Trump over hush money payments during his 2016 presidential campaign, at least temporarily slowing a decision on whether to charge the ex-president.
What made Beethoven sick? DNA from his hair offers clues
Nearly 200 years after Ludwig van Beethoven's death, researchers pulled DNA from strands of his hair, searching for clues about the health problems and hearing loss that plagued him.
Canada needs 300,000 new rental units to avoid gap quadrupling by 2026: report
Canada's rental housing shortage will quadruple to 120,000 units by 2026 without a significant boost in stock, Royal Bank of Canada said in a report Wednesday.