Alpine weather forecast
Avalanche Québec offers a weather forecast specifically for the Chic-Chocs. It is prepared twice a week by a professional meteorologist at Alpine Weather Consultants.
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Published on
February 8, 2026Effective for
February 9, 2026 to February 12, 2026Short and medium-term outlook
Just a few flakes
The Chic-Chocs currently find themselves pinched between a strong high pressure system over Lake Ontario and a deep storm well east of Newfoundland. Despite their distant positioning, the resulting pressure gradient is rather pronounced and is sustaining strong winds from the north. While the Saint-Lawrence remains completely ice covered, the cold north winds will be upslope for the Chic-Chocs and could generate a few orographic flurries on Monday but accumulations would be limited to a centimetre or two at most. Temperatures will only rise to -12C and the strong winds will produce a wind chill near -20.
The ridge will shift east on Tuesday to lie over Nova Scotia. This position will favour mainly sunny skies, much lighter westerly winds, and a fairly comfortable -4C in the mountains. As we progress into February, its a good reminder that the sun angle is growing increasingly steep and the solar input is approaching 350 Watts per square metre. Steep, south aspect could see some melting and therefore a possible new sun crust.
Come Wednesday, a low from Ontario will track south of New Brunswick and out into the Atlantic. Unfortunately, the system will remain too far to deliver any snow to the Chic-Chocs. Instead, we will see increased cloud cover, light southerly winds, and temperatures near -9C. Winds will shift to the north on Thursday as an upper low passes over Maine. We could see a few light flurries, but currently, amounts look negligeable. Following what has been a very quiet start to February, longer range models hint at a more active, and snowier pattern beginning around the 17th. Until then, enjoy the occasional sun and keep those snow dances going!
Forecast Confidence :
Good confidence in the forecast given the fairly quiet pattern. Worth watching will be the path and depth of the upper low on Thursday. While current guidance doesn`t indicate a favourable path, a shift further north could increase our chances at some snow. Stay tuned!
