Quebec City area could see high water levels, strong winds, Environment Canada warns

Environment Canada has issued a storm surge warning for the Quebec City area, with higher than normal water levels near the coast expected Tuesday morning.

The weather agency says an intense low pressure system from the U.S. East Coast will give strong to high winds over the Quebec City, Bellechasse, Côte-de-Beaupré, Lévis and L'Île d'Orléans regions. Gusts of 70 km/h are expected Tuesday from the northeast.

"The combination of these winds and the current period of flood and high tidal ranges could produce minor overwash along the coast and around the following locales," the warning reads.

Public security officials in the province are keeping an eye on several waterways that are at risk of overflowing. This weekend, the Chaudière River overflowed its banks, causing some minor flooding near St-Joseph-de-Beauce.

Five centimetres of fairly wet and heavy snow is also expected to fall in Quebec City overnight and continue into Tuesday morning, while temperatures will stay between 0 and 2 C.

The snow should fall at a steady pace for 12 hours and melt during the day. Power outages are also expected.

Elsewhere in the region, Montmagny, Beauce and Charlevoix could see 10 to 15 centimetres of snow. Twenty centimetres of snow could fall in the Réserve faunique des Laurentides, Les Escoumins and Saguenay.