Polar vortex in Montreal until Wednesday
Posted January 19, 2025 12:18 pm.
A frigid week ahead. A polar vortex is on its way and will remain in Montreal until Wednesday.
The mercury continued to plummet throughout Sunday with people on sidewalks needing to pay special attention.
Rain on Saturday created a thin layer of ice in many places, making the roads slippery. Overnight lows will drop to between -20 C and -25 C in Montreal starting Monday.
Some community organizations have taken special measures to help unhoused people during this period, but there’s concern for overnight shelters in Montreal, like Old Brewery Mission and CAP St-Barnabé, which have reported turning dozens of people away daily in the past weeks.
An extreme cold warning is in effect for regions like Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Lac-Saint-Jean, where wind chills could drop to -45. Environment Canada described the cold snap as the worst that Quebec has seen in two years.
They recommended exercising caution when going outdoors, as the risk of frostbite will be high and said that if it’s too cold for you, then it’s the same for your pet.
The polar vortex is a mass of cold air from the Arctic. It’s expected to peter out by the end of the week with seasonal temperatures returning by the weekend.
