We’re barely past the waning days of summer and it’s already time to start thinking about switching over to your winter tires across parts of Quebec.
A gorgeous start to autumn with mild air abound makes it easy to forget that winter is right around the corner. Folks in certain portions of the province should consider booking appointments sooner rather than later.
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When is it time to make the switch from summer tires to winter tires? Your wheels have a tougher time gripping the road when temperatures dip below 7°C. The softer rubber of winter tires has an easier time sticking to cold asphalt, giving you better control of your vehicle during winter weather conditions.
Temperatures are slowly dropping throughout the province. We’ll start to see periods where temperatures drop below 7°C for a few hours overnight, but the day will come when temperatures fall below that magic number and rarely rise above it. We usually reach that threshold in Montreal in late November.
How will conditions progress this season? Milder temperatures will likely hold their ground through much of October, though colder stretches with occasional bouts of snow can’t be ruled out.
On average, the first few centimetres of snow falls across Quebec from late October to the middle of November. Remember, even a small dusting of snow is enough to make the roads dangerously slick.
Folks across northern Quebec should be first in line to make the switch over to their winter tires. Communities like Chibougamau and even those on the Gaspé Peninsula should make their appointments and have the switch completed by the middle of October.
Farther south, drivers in the Montreal region should consider changing their tires before the middle of November. Communities at higher elevations in the Laurentians, as well as those in Montérégie and the Eastern Townships, should get their tires switched over by the beginning of November.
This story, re-written by The Weather Network, was originally published in French by MétéoMédia.