WHO TOOK A WRONG TURN?
Later cold snap could ice up roads
SHARING THE ROAD A duck and garbage truck compete for space on a flooded section of Riviera St. at 6th St. in Laval West on Monday. Authorities are bracing for more flooding after Environment Canada issued a rainfall warning for Tuesday.
Authorities around the island of Montreal and in parts of the Eastern Townships, Laurentians and Lanaudière are carefully watching water levels, with warm weather expected to combine with heavy rain Tuesday.
While the temperature rose to an unseasonably high 24 C late Monday afternoon, Environment Canada issued a rainfall warning for Mont- real and the areas around the city. According to the weather service, a low-pressure system originating in the United States is expected to reach Quebec Tuesday afternoon and could bring between 25 and 45 millimetres of rain. Higher amounts are expected in areas north of Quebec City and over Charlevoix.
The rain is expected to be followed by a very sharp cold front, which should cause temperatures to drop suddenly late Tuesday in southern and central Quebec. The combination could cause icy roads, and some regions of the province may receive up to 10 centimetres of snow. Montreal is forecast to receive two to four centimetres.
As well, frozen ground that is unable to absorb any ex- pected rain will mean more run-off into rivers and lakes.
Officials in Laval are on alert watching the Mille-Îles and des Prairies rivers. Certain areas of western Laval, especially near 41st and 43rd Aves., had water-covered streets on Monday, but no basement floods, said police spokesperson Nathalie Lorrain.
“There’s a bit on some streets, but that’s normal every year,” Lorrain said.
In the Eastern Townships town of North Hatley, the run-off from Lake Massawippi into the Massawippi River covered the park benches and boardwalk along the north shoreline. One business, the Pilsen Pub, had water in the lower level where a terrasse is operated in the summer months.
The owner reported that he sees floods there every year and has pumps built into the floor for that reason. Several dozen homes and businesses were given evacuation notices during the weekend in the town of Beauceville, south of Quebec City, where there was a kilometre-long ice jam along the Chaudière River.
Pierre Corbin, director of operations at Quebec’s Hydro Météo, said his agency is monitoring several river systems across the province.
“It’s rare that you see so many sectors affected at the same time like this,” he said.