Montreal is set to welcome 2026 under a deep freeze, with forecasters predicting biting winds, significant snowfall, and dangerously low wind chills for New Year's Eve celebrations.
A Frigid Forecast for Festivities
Revelers planning to celebrate the end of 2025 outdoors will need to bundle up. According to The Weather Network, five to 10 centimetres of snow is expected on December 31, with a low temperature of minus-14 degrees Celsius. The biting wind will make it feel closer to minus-23 C.
Environment Canada's forecast aligns, calling for increasing cloud cover late in the evening, followed by two to four centimetres of light snow around midnight. They predict a low of minus-13 C and a wind chill of minus-22 C.
New Year's Day Offers Little Relief
The bitter conditions will stretch into the first day of 2026. The forecast for New Year's Day, Thursday, calls for morning light snow tapering off, followed by clearing skies. However, strong winds of 20 to 40 km/h will persist. The high is expected to reach only minus-14 C, with the wind chill remaining near minus-23 C. Overnight, the temperature is forecast to plummet to a stark low of minus-23 C.
Legacy of a Powerful Storm
This cold snap follows an intense low-pressure system that struck the province on Monday, December 30. That storm lashed regions with freezing rain and high winds, leading to widespread disruption. More than 30,000 Hydro-Québec clients lost power due to the severe weather.
The aftermath of that freezing rain continues to pose a serious hazard. Surfaces across the city remain treacherously icy. Public safety officials reported a spike in 911 calls, and emergency rooms saw an influx of patients with fractures and concussions from slips and falls.
Authorities are urging Montrealers to exercise extreme caution while walking or driving, as the combination of new snow and existing ice will create challenging conditions for the final hours of 2025 and the start of the new year.
