Wicked, wild weather heads to Montreal following record-breaking warmth

A person walks along the promenade in the Old Port in Montreal, Friday, Jan. 21, 2022. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes)

After two days of record-breaking temperatures, Montrealers should brace for some wild weather Wednesday night.

A sharp cold front is expected to sweep across Quebec.

Ahead of the front, strong southerly winds could cause temperatures to rise.

The daytime high in Montreal is expected to break records for the second day.

The forecast high in the city is expected to hit 13 degrees Celsius.

The record for Feb. 28 is 8.3 C, which was set in 1954 and tied in 2017.

Montreal also set a new record high on Feb. 27 as the mercury soared to 14.9 C, beating the previous record of 10.9 C in 2000.

The normal high for this time in February is -2 C.

After the surge of warmth, an aggressive cold front is expected to whip across the province Wednesday evening, causing wicked winds and a flash freeze.

Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued wind warnings for the Greater Montreal area, as westerly winds may increase this evening with gusts up to 90 km/h.

The winds are expected to be strong enough to cause power outages around the region.

Strong westerly winds could cause temperatures to drop rapidly.

The city may see rain change to snow during the evening hours.

Widespread flash freeze warnings are in effect.

Roads and sidewalks are expected to become icy and slippery.

Montreal could experience a 25-degree temperature drop as the high on Wednesday goes from 13 C to -12 C.

Blustery winds may result in a wind chill of -23.

Meanwhile, eastern parts of the province are under rainfall warnings, with 30 to 50 millimetres of rain expected Wednesday.

Temperatures are expected to be below average in Montreal on Thursday, with a daytime high of -8 C and a windchill of -18.

The cold snap should be short-lived, as temperatures climb back above the freezing mark on Friday and into the double digits on Saturday.