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
April 29, 2026Effective for
April 29, 2026 to May 2, 2026Short and medium-term outlook
A warm end to April, a chilly start to May
Tuesday was our warmest day of the year so far thanks to a strong ridge of high pressure over Newfoundland and the resulting mild southerly flow. The Petit Mont Sainte-Anne weather station at 1145 metres recorded a high of +13oC while the Gite rose to a balmy +19oC! Meanwhile, along the coast, the chilly Saint-Lawrence waters kept Cap Chat and Sainte-Anne-des-Monts near +6C, until the winds shifted to the south at 11pm… and then the mercury shot up by 10 degrees in a single hour!! Almost a Chinook wind!
The ridge will begin to fade on Wednesday but it will be another warm and mostly sunny day. Alpine highs will approach +10C while valley bottoms will be near +13C. Snowmelt will therefore continue to support rising rivers and streams. Cloud cover will be on the increase through the afternoon as a slow moving cold front limps forward from the west. Ahead of the front, moderate southerly winds of 30-40 km/h will yield a warm breezy day in the mountains. You will want to take advantage of the warm, spring conditions as the outlook is cooler and wetter. No refreeze is anticipated Wednesday night thanks to the increasingly cloudy skies which will act to limit nighttime cooling.
Thursday will be a cloudy day with cooler temperatures and ongoing moderate southerly winds. The approaching cold front will take its sweet time to reach the Chic-Chocs with rain forecast to begin overnight into Friday morning. Rain will be heaviest before sunrise and then ease to a lighter variety for the majority of Friday. Alpine winds will blow at 60-80 km/h while temperatures will remain steady near +2C making for a rather dismal day in the mountains. As its name would suggest, the cold front will usher in a much colder air mass with daytime highs just above the freezing mark through the weekend and lows near -3C. A few additional showers can be expected as well. After our teaser of warmth to finish off April, the beginning of May has a much cooler look to it with the below seasonal temperatures lasting until May 7th, and likely longer. It may be a good time to put that storage coating of wax on the ski & boards and turn to tuning the bikes!
This is the last outlook of the 2025-26 winter! Alpine Weather Consultants would like to thank all the faithful readers for following us through one of the best winters in several years. Wishing you all a safe and enjoyable spring and summer!
Forecast Confidence :
Good confidence overall. The main uncertainty will be how rapidly skies cloud over on Thursday and therefore how high the temperatures are able to climb. Strong southerly flows don’t typically result in large rainfall amounts over the Chic-Chocs so model guidance is likely overdone. Total rainfall from Friday through Sunday should not exceed 5-10 mm at most. Good confidence in the chilly start to May.
