Weather warning: Two days of heavy rainfall could cause major problems
Up to 75 mm of rain could drench the greater Montreal region Friday and Saturday
It will be a warm but wet weekend — and that could mean trouble in areas at risk of flooding.
Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement warning of "significant rainfall amounts over a long period" on Friday and Saturday for parts of southern Quebec. As much as 75 millimetres of rain could fall over those two days.
Marie-Eve Giguère, a meteorologist at the weather agency, said the rain will arrive in two separate, powerful systems over 48 hours.
"There is no real break in between," she said. "We're looking at a fairly wet long weekend."
The skies are expected to clear Saturday, and the temperature could reach 18 C on Sunday and Monday, further heightening worries of rising water levels as melted snow enters the watershed.
The rain warning applies to the following areas:
- Châteauguay-La Prairie.
- Laval.
- Longueuil-Varennes.
- Montréal Island.
Hydro Météo, a non-governmental agency that monitors water levels, said on its website Thursday that flooding alerts are in place for the Ottawa and Mille îles rivers, as well as for the Rivière des Prairies.