If you thought Montreal’s winter was cold already, brace yourself — things are about to get really frigid.
According to a new MétéoMédia report, Montreal and much of Quebec are about to be among the coldest places on Earth this weekend. Yes, you read that right.
“The epicentre of the coldest air mass in the world will be over Eastern Canada this weekend,” meteorologists reported Monday.
What to expect
A polar vortex is making its way toward us, and it’s bringing some seriously brutal temperatures with it, as per MétéoMédia’s updated forecast.
Wednesday will be relatively mild, with scattered flurries and temps around -5°C in the afternoon (feeling like -12°C). But don’t get comfortable. By Thursday overnight, temperatures should drop to -11°C, feeling like -19°C.
Friday is when the real plunge begins. Daytime highs will only reach -11°C, feeling more like -21°C with the wind. By Friday evening, we’re looking at -17°C (feeling like -27°C), and overnight temps will crater to -27°C — feeling like a bone-chilling -38°C.
Saturday brings the worst of it. Even during the “warmest” part of the day, temps will only climb to -22°C, feeling like -32°C. Saturday morning will feel like -35°C, with the actual temperature sitting at -25°C.
Sunday offers basically zero relief, with afternoon highs of -20°C feeling closer to -27°C, and overnight wind chills dropping back to -32°C.
Even though winds won’t be particularly strong (around 15-20 km/h), that’s still enough to push the feels-like temps into dangerous territory.
Colder than Antarctica
MétéoMédia points out that it’ll actually be colder here than in Antarctica this weekend, where interior temperatures typically hover around -30°C this time of year.
This could also mark a historic cold snap for Montreal. The city might see a daytime high below -20°C on Saturday — something that hasn’t happened since January 6, 2018.
Not just a one-day thing
Unfortunately, this isn’t a quick freeze-and-thaw situation. This weekend kicks off what could be the coldest stretch of the entire winter.
After Saturday’s deep freeze, temperatures will climb slightly but stay well below seasonal norms through the end of January. We’re not looking at a return to more typical temps until early February.
As MétéoMédia put it: “Until then, Quebec remains stuck in the freezer.”
So if you’re heading out this weekend, layer up like your life depends on it — because honestly, it kind of does.