Montreal bracing for 'malicious' weather cocktail of heavy rain followed by flash freeze

A city spokesperson says Montreal is racing to clear snow before heavy rain threatens to flood roads and sidewalks — and a cold front whisks in to freeze everything.

The city will begin a snow-clearing operation Tuesday night and continue it on Wednesday.

The spokesperson, Philippe Sabourin, said there are currently about 15 centimetres of snow on the ground in Montreal. Tomorrow, "diluvian" rains are forecast, he said. Between 30 and 40 millimetres of rain could fall, according to Environment Canada.

That much water could be a flooding threat on its own, but combined with warmer temperatures, it is likely to melt much of the snow on the ground. Together, the snowmelt and rain threaten to flood low-lying areas and some roads and sidewalks, Sabourin said.

The city is in a "race against time" to clear as much of the snow as possible before a cold front arrives and freezes everything.

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"The city can't leave it be and hope the snow melts to avoid water accumulation on the sides of roads, because otherwise it will be a real skating rink," Sabourin said.

Environment Canada has issued both a rainfall and freezing rain warning for the Montreal area and much of southern Quebec. The agency says to expect water accumulation as the sodden ground is unable to absorb more liquid. A flash freeze overnight Wednesday into Thursday will then freeze that ponded water, the warning says. There could be tree damage and visibility problems in places where the rain turns into snow. 

Sabourin described the weather cocktail as "malicious." He urged residents to pay attention to no-parking signs, download the Info-Neige app and help keep sidewalks clear for the 3,000 city workers who will be mobilized Tuesday night.

Those workers will be clearing snow and spreading salt and abrasives on streets and sidewalks to prepare for the weather.

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