Winter storm on its way for southern Quebec

Buckle up, Quebec: a messy winter cocktail is on its way.

Environment Canada has issued a winter storm warning for most of southern Quebec, including Montreal, the Eastern Townships, Lanaudireand theQuebec City area.

While it has been unseasonably warm, the cold will make its return overnight Friday, dropping to -10 C by Saturday.

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The weather agency says the rain will change tofreezing rain then to ice pellets and snow overnight Friday.

By Saturday, the snow will intensify and some regions are expected to get up to 25 centimetres by the end of the weekend.

The wintry conditions will make for a tricky driveas snow accumulates and the cold sets in.Highways, roads and sidewalks could become slippery.

Urgences-Santput out a warning Friday afternoon, urging citizens to stay home and off the roads if possible.

"For those who have to travel outside, we ask you to be very cautious, since these kinds of weather conditions usually result inaccidents and many calls to 911," read the statement.

In Montreal, snow-removal operations are still underway from last weekend when the city saw 20 centimetres of snow fall. As of Friday morning, about 83 per cent of streets have been cleared.

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Flash freezes and deep chill

Some regions in the southern half of the province are also under a flash freeze warning.

Environment Canada warns that a cold front is coming to areas such as theLaurentians, Gatineau and Mont-Laurier.

With the sudden drop in temperatures, water accumulation, slush and snow will quickly freeze on the ground.

Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots will be become icy and slippery.

The weather agency has also issued an extreme cold warning for areas such asAbitibiand Matagami, where it could feel as cold as -40 starting this evening.

An extreme cold weather warning is issued when there is a higher risk offrostbite and hypothermia.