Gatineau · Quebec · 2026–27 season
Snow Day Predictor GatineauWill school be cancelled tomorrow in Gatineau?
Live overnight forecast for Gatineau, Hull, Aylmer, Buckingham, Masson-Angers, and the surrounding Outaouais. The predictor tunes to CSS des Draveurs, CSS des Portages-de-l’Outaouais, and Western Quebec School Board closure patterns, with cross-river divergence from Ottawa flagged when it matters.
Multi-model forecast, five-factor closure engine, province-aware results. No sign-up, no tracking of your queries.
What makes Gatineau unique
Gatineau is the Outaouais twin of Ottawa, separated by the Ottawa River but operated under entirely Quebec school structure. Closure decisions for CSS des Draveurs and Western Quebec School Board are made independently of OCDSB and OSTA across the river.
Outaouais forecast
Gatineau snow day forecast, what to expect this winter
Gatineau is the fourth-largest city in Quebec and the Quebec half of the National Capital Region, looking across the Ottawa River at downtown Ottawa from the Outaouais shore. The city stretches from Aylmer in the west through Hull and the old city to Buckingham and Masson-Angers in the east, with Gatineau Park rising behind it into the Eardley Escarpment. Although Ottawa and Gatineau share one weather forecast on most evenings, they do not share school systems, bus consortia, or closure decisions. Every winter storm produces at least one morning where Ottawa OCDSB schools are open and CSS des Draveurs in Gatineau closes, or the reverse, even though the snow fell on both sides of the same river.
Outaouais winters are slightly snowier and noticeably colder than the Ottawa side, averaging 220 to 240 cm of seasonal snowfall, with the upslope side of Gatineau Park picking up 30 to 50 cm more than the riverbank. The dominant storm tracks are Colorado lows pushing northeast through the Saint Lawrence Valley, Alberta clippers diving down the Ottawa Valley, and the freezing-rain band that periodically sets up between cold polar air pooled in the Outaouais and warm air aloft. Polar vortex outbreaks are common in January and February, dropping morning temperatures to minus 30 °C with wind chills near minus 40 °C, the threshold at which most Quebec CSS networks cancel school for cold alone.
For most Outaouais families the practical question is which board their child attends and which bus operator that board contracts. CSS des Draveurs covers the central and eastern parts of the city under the Quebec public French system, CSS des Portages-de-l’Outaouais covers Aylmer and the western communities, and the Western Quebec School Board serves the English-speaking population across the entire Outaouais and Pontiac region. The three boards make independent calls on the same morning, often within minutes of OSTA across the river but on a separate conference line, separate criteria, and separate timing.
School boards
Gatineau school boards we model
The boards and transportation operators that make the morning closure call for Gatineau.
- Centre de services scolaire des Draveurs
The main French-language CSS for central and eastern Gatineau, covering Gatineau, Buckingham, Masson-Angers, and surrounding municipalities. Closure decisions are made by the CSS leadership independently of any Ontario board.
- Centre de services scolaire des Portages-de-l’Outaouais
French-language CSS covering Hull, Aylmer, and the western Outaouais. Makes its own closure call, frequently aligned with CSS des Draveurs but not bound to it.
- Western Quebec School Board (WQSB)
English-language board serving the Outaouais, the Pontiac, and the Témiscamingue. The only English public option for Gatineau families; decisions are made independently of the French CSS networks and of any Ottawa board.
- Conseil scolaire francophone (cross-border)
Relevant connector for francophone families with siblings or programs in Ontario; cross-border closure differences are common.
Bus transportation
Each Outaouais CSS contracts its own bus operators, and there is no inter-board transportation consortium equivalent to OSTA in Ottawa or TSTG in Toronto. CSS des Draveurs and Western Quebec School Board make independent decisions, often within minutes of OSTA across the river but on a separate call. It is routine for one board to cancel buses while the other runs, and for English WQSB to align with Ottawa while the French CSS aligns with the rest of Quebec.
Local weather
Gatineau’s signature winter weather patterns
The phenomena that produce most Gatineau snow days.
- Ottawa Valley snow squalls and freezing-rain band
The Ottawa Valley channels cold air south from the Laurentians and warm air north from the Saint Lawrence, producing a recurring freezing-rain corridor that runs through Gatineau and Ottawa. When the boundary parks over the Outaouais, several hours of freezing rain or ice pellets can shut down both road and bus networks.
- Gatineau Park elevation enhancement
The Eardley Escarpment rises sharply behind Hull and Aylmer, lifting incoming westerly and northwesterly flow. Snow totals on the Chelsea, Old Chelsea, and upper Aylmer side of the park often run 30 to 50 percent higher than the downtown Gatineau riverbank in the same storm.
- Polar air outbreaks producing minus 35 °C wind chill
Several mornings each winter the Outaouais drops to minus 30 °C with northwesterly winds that push wind chill near minus 40. Quebec CSS networks generally cancel school or at minimum cancel buses when sustained wind chill reaches minus 38 to minus 40, a threshold reached more often in Gatineau than in southern Ontario.
- Ottawa River cold-air drainage
Cold dense air drains down the Gatineau and Lièvre river valleys overnight, pooling along the Ottawa River shore. Riverside neighbourhoods in Hull and Masson-Angers regularly record morning temperatures 3 to 5 °C colder than the airport, which can shift a borderline storm from snow to freezing rain.
- Colorado low storm track (eastern leg)
The eastern leg of the Colorado low track delivers most major Outaouais storms from late December through March. Systems strengthen as they reach the Saint Lawrence Valley, often dropping 25 to 40 cm on Gatineau over an overnight period with strong easterly winds.
History
Notable Gatineau snow days in recent winters
Storms and ice events that shaped how Gatineau school boards approach the morning call.
Great Ice Storm of 1998
January 5-10, 1998Five days of freezing rain coated the Outaouais and Eastern Ontario with up to 100 mm of ice. Power was out across Gatineau for days to weeks, the Canadian Forces were deployed, and every school board in the region closed for an extended period. The defining modern weather event for the National Capital Region and the storm against which all later Gatineau ice events are still measured.
February 2008 Ottawa Valley storm
February 27, 2008A Colorado low dropped more than 40 cm of snow on Gatineau and Ottawa in roughly 24 hours, breaking single-day records on the Quebec side. CSS des Draveurs, CSS des Portages-de-l’Outaouais, and Western Quebec School Board all closed; bus operators across the Outaouais cancelled routes for multiple days as side streets in Hull and Aylmer remained impassable.
January 2022 Quebec winter storm
January 17, 2022A major Quebec winter storm tracked through the Saint Lawrence and Outaouais valleys, dropping 30 to 45 cm of snow on Gatineau with sustained winds gusting past 60 km/h. All three Outaouais boards closed; the province issued travel advisories for the entire region. The storm closed schools across Quebec on the same day OCDSB closed in Ottawa, a rare full cross-river closure.
April 2018 late-season ice storm
April 14-15, 2018A late-season system delivered 20 to 30 mm of freezing rain to Gatineau over two days, downing tree limbs across Aylmer, Hull, and Buckingham and knocking out power to tens of thousands of homes. WQSB and the French CSS networks closed for safety; the event is the clearest recent reminder that Outaouais snow day risk extends into mid-April.
February 2019 polar vortex
January 30-31, 2019A deep polar vortex outbreak dropped Gatineau morning temperatures to minus 33 °C with wind chills below minus 45. CSS des Draveurs and WQSB cancelled classes for cold alone, a Quebec-specific call rarely made on the Ontario side; the Outaouais saw multiple consecutive cold-day cancellations.
December 2022 pre-Christmas blizzard
December 23, 2022A pre-holiday blizzard dropped 30 cm of snow on Gatineau with sustained winds gusting to 80 km/h. Highway 50 and Autoroute 5 closed in sections; all three Outaouais boards cancelled classes and bus operations for the final school day before the winter break.
FAQ
Gatineau snow day frequently asked questions
The 7 questions Gatineau parents and teachers ask us most.
Will CSS des Draveurs close tomorrow?
Type your Gatineau postal code or "Gatineau, Quebec" into the predictor above. Centre de services scolaire des Draveurs makes its closure call independently, typically between 5:30 and 6:30 am, based on the overnight forecast for central and eastern Gatineau. Our predictor returns an advance probability the night before based on the same forecast models the CSS leadership and bus operators are watching.
Will Gatineau schools close if Ottawa closes?
Not necessarily. Gatineau and Ottawa share one weather forecast on most mornings but two entirely separate school systems. OCDSB and OSTA across the river make their call under Ontario criteria and Ottawa Student Transportation timing; CSS des Draveurs, CSS des Portages-de-l’Outaouais, and Western Quebec School Board make their calls under Quebec criteria. It is common for Ottawa to close while the Outaouais French CSS networks run, or for Quebec to cancel for cold while OCDSB stays open.
Will Western Quebec School Board close when the French CSS networks close?
Often, but not always. Western Quebec School Board serves the English-language population across the entire Outaouais and Pontiac, and its closure decisions are made by WQSB leadership independently of CSS des Draveurs and CSS des Portages-de-l’Outaouais. WQSB sometimes aligns more closely with Ottawa-side English boards than with the French CSS on the same morning, particularly on freezing-rain days where the call hinges on rural Pontiac roads.
How is Gatineau weather different from Ottawa?
Gatineau averages 220 to 240 cm of seasonal snowfall, modestly higher than Ottawa, and runs 1 to 3 °C colder overnight on average because cold air drains off the Laurentians and pools along the Outaouais shore. Gatineau Park adds elevation enhancement on the Aylmer and Chelsea side. The two cities can sit in different precipitation types in the same storm, with Ottawa receiving rain while Gatineau receives freezing rain or snow.
Will school be cancelled in Aylmer or Hull tomorrow?
Aylmer and Hull are served by Centre de services scolaire des Portages-de-l’Outaouais on the French side and by Western Quebec School Board on the English side. The two boards make independent calls, and a Portages cancellation does not automatically apply to WQSB schools in the same neighbourhood. Enter your specific Gatineau postal code in the predictor to get the forecast for Aylmer, Hull, or your part of the city.
How does Gatineau Park area weather differ from downtown Gatineau?
The Eardley Escarpment that forms the southern edge of Gatineau Park rises several hundred metres above the Ottawa River shore, lifting incoming flow and squeezing out extra snow on the Chelsea, Old Chelsea, and upper Aylmer side. Storms that drop 20 cm in downtown Gatineau routinely drop 30 to 35 cm on the park side, and freezing rain at river level often falls as snow on the upper slope. Our forecast uses your exact coordinates rather than averaging across the city.
Are Gatineau bus operators coordinated with Ottawa OSTA?
No. Each Outaouais CSS contracts its own bus operators, and there is no inter-board transportation consortium on the Quebec side, nor any operational link to the Ottawa Student Transportation Authority across the river. CSS des Draveurs and WQSB make independent cancellation decisions, often within minutes of OSTA but on a separate call and under separate criteria.
Near Gatineau
Nearby Quebec cities
Other Quebec cities our forecast covers — same regional profile, different local weather.
Looking for forecasts across the rest of Quebec? View the Quebec hub with all school boards, transportation consortia, weather zones, and a full city directory. Or browse the provinces & territories hub for every Canadian region.
Also in Quebec: Laval · Quebec City · Longueuil · Sherbrooke · Saguenay · Lévis · Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
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