Messy weekend on tap for southern Quebec

Saturday, January 3, 2015, 8:39 AM - Snow is on the way to Quebec, but so is freezing rain, making life tough for anyone who has to be on the road this weekend.

Almost all of southern Quebec is covered by some kind of warning, with most freezing rain warnings concentrated in the Montreal and Townships area, with winter storm warnings stretching north and east to Quebec City and the gulf.

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While the system has already begun to affect southwestern Ontario, it won't reach Quebec until Saturday afternoon and evening, beginning first as snow showers, intensifying overnight, with 10-15 cm of snow possible for the Montreal, Eastern Townships and Ottawa areas. 

Up to 25 cm is possible in the Saguenay-Lac-St.-Jean area, up to 30 cm in Quebec City.

A potentially bigger problem will be freezing rain. Around 5-15 mm of freezing rain is possible, beginning early Sunday morning and lasting for a few hours before transitioning to rain. Freezing rain is more likely for Montreal and the Eastern Townships, while areas further east will receive lesser amounts.

Accompanying this system will be strong gusts of up to 80 km/h in Montreal and areas south of the city.

Snow returns again Sunday night into Monday, but much lower amounts of 2-5 cm, depending on location.

TUNE IN: We'll have ongoing coverage of active weather in your area on The Weather Network on TV.