Don’t put away your scarf: Cold snap back for the weekend

After a brief break from the bitter cold that settled over the region – and much of the country – in recent days, Environment Canada is predicting temperatures will drop to well below normal once again through the weekend. Quebec also has to brace for a new storm coming out of the Atlantic by the end of the week. A depression currently forming on the US East Coast should degenerate, Thursday and Friday, into a cocktail of precipitation. The Townships, Eastern Quebec, and the Maritime Provinces are expected to be the most heavily affected. Environment Canada predicts a mixture of snow, sleet, and freezing rain, followed by a final rain that should freeze on the ground with the return of cold air on Friday. Some areas north of the storm track, including the Gaspé Peninsula and the North Shore, could receive all of its precipitation in the form of snow. This low pressure will be accompanied by winds ranging from moderate to strong throughout Quebec.