Freezing rain, high winds coming as work week begins in southern Quebec

FILE PHOTO: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Montreal -

Montreal and several nearby municipalities are under a freezing rain alert as icy-cold temperatures are expected throughout the week.

The Montreal Island, Mont-Laurier, and Chateaugeay areas, as well as Laval and Longueuil, are expected to be hit with between two to four millimetres of freezing rain Monday morning.

The frigid showers are expected to come as early-morning snow turns to rain. The Canadian government’s weather alert says “significant impacts on the morning commute” are possible in affected areas.

“Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become icy and slippery. Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions,” read the alert. “There may be a significant impact on rush hour traffic in urban areas.”

A CHILLY WEEK AHEAD

Sunday morning in Montreal got to a chilly start with 15 km/h winds making temperatures feel like -15. It will feel more like -19 through the afternoon as cloudy conditions give way to snow overnight.

That snow, as per the weather warning, could turn to freezing rain Monday morning. High winds up to 60 km/h are expected, making conditions feel like -7 degrees. Temperatures will reach a high of 8. Rain is expected overnight.

Sunny skies should return on Tuesday, with a high of -5 dropping to -10 overnight as clouds roll back in.

Those clouds will continue to hang over the city on Wednesday. Highs are expected to be -7 during the day and -12 overnight.

Thursday should be sunny with a high of -8. Friday will bring a 60 per cent chance of flurries, giving way to periods of rain on Saturday.