Quebec City · Quebec · 2026–27 season
Snow Day Predictor Quebec CityWill school be cancelled tomorrow in Quebec City?
Live overnight forecast for Quebec City, Sainte-Foy, Sillery, Beauport, Charlesbourg, and the Capitale-Nationale region. The predictor tunes to CSS de la Capitale, CSS des Découvreurs, and CSS des Premières-Seigneuries closure patterns, with Autobus Charest bus cancellation probability returned separately.
Multi-model forecast, five-factor closure engine, province-aware results. No sign-up, no tracking of your queries.
What makes Quebec City unique
Quebec City receives the heaviest seasonal snowfall of any major Canadian city, averaging about 300 cm per year. The combination of Atlantic moisture funneling up the St. Lawrence, polar air masses, and elevation produces routine snowstorms unmatched elsewhere in urban Canada.
Capitale-Nationale forecast
Quebec City snow day forecast, what to expect this winter
Quebec City is the snowiest major city in Canada. The provincial capital averages roughly 300 cm of snow per season, more than twice the totals recorded in Toronto or Vancouver and well above Montreal’s 200 cm. The reason is geography: the St. Lawrence River acts as a moisture conduit channeling Atlantic air directly into the Capitale-Nationale, while polar air from the Laurentian uplands and Hudson Bay drops temperatures low enough to keep precipitation as snow through most of the season. The result is a winter where 20 cm overnight snowfalls are routine and 40 to 50 cm storms occur several times each decade.
School operations in Quebec City are split across three French-language centres de services scolaires and one English-language board. CSS de la Capitale serves the central core including Vieux-Québec, Saint-Roch, Limoilou, and Sainte-Foy north. CSS des Découvreurs covers the western suburbs of Sainte-Foy, Sillery, and Cap-Rouge. CSS des Premières-Seigneuries handles the eastern half of the metropolitan area including Beauport, Charlesbourg, and the Côte-de-Beaupré. The Central Quebec School Board (CQSB) provides English-language schooling across a vast territory extending from Quebec City east through the Gaspé Peninsula. Each centre de services makes its own closure call, though the three Quebec City French boards often align when a storm affects the entire region.
Despite the heavy snowfall, Quebec City closes schools less often than smaller boards on the Ontario or Maritime side of the country. Municipal snow clearance is among the most efficient in North America, with the Ville de Québec operating a fleet that begins plowing major arteries before snowfall ends. For most families, the more useful question is whether buses will run. Each CSS contracts its own transportation, with Autobus Charest as the dominant Quebec City area operator, and freezing rain tends to trigger more cancellations than snow alone.
School boards
Quebec City school boards we model
The boards and transportation operators that make the morning closure call for Quebec City.
- Centre de services scolaire de la Capitale (CSS de la Capitale)
Central Quebec City French-language board serving Vieux-Québec, Saint-Roch, Limoilou, Vanier, and central Sainte-Foy. Closure decisions affect the urban core.
- Centre de services scolaire des Découvreurs (CSS des Découvreurs)
Western Quebec City French-language board covering Sainte-Foy, Sillery, and Cap-Rouge. Often, but not always, aligns with CSS de la Capitale.
- Centre de services scolaire des Premières-Seigneuries (CSS des Premières-Seigneuries)
Eastern Quebec City French-language board covering Beauport, Charlesbourg, and the Côte-de-Beaupré. Snowbelt enhancement east of the city can push this board to close while the urban core stays open.
- Central Quebec School Board (CQSB)
English-language coverage from Quebec City east through the Gaspé Peninsula. Closure decisions are made by region given the enormous territory.
Bus transportation
Each centre de services scolaire contracts its own bus operations rather than running a joint consortium. Autobus Charest is the dominant Quebec City area operator, with smaller carriers serving outlying communities. Cancellation calls are typically made by 6:00 am the morning of, and freezing rain events more often trigger cancellation than heavy snow, because crews can plow snow but cannot eliminate the ice glaze that makes route compliance unsafe.
Local weather
Quebec City’s signature winter weather patterns
The phenomena that produce most Quebec City snow days.
- St. Lawrence Atlantic moisture funnel
The St. Lawrence River channels moist Atlantic air directly into Quebec City from the northeast. When this moisture meets cold continental air over the Capitale-Nationale, the result is reliable, heavy snowfall accumulation that produces the highest seasonal totals of any major Canadian city.
- Polar air outbreaks
Arctic air masses descending from Hudson Bay and the Laurentian uplands push wind chills to −35 °C several times each winter. Bus cancellations for extreme cold are routine in January and early February, even on days without active snowfall, because Quebec public health guidance flags frostbite risk at those values.
- Île d’Orléans and Côte-de-Beaupré snowbelt
East of Quebec City, elevation rises toward the Laurentian foothills and the Île d’Orléans sits in the path of northeasterly moisture. This snowbelt enhancement means Beauport, Boischatel, and Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré often receive 50 to 100 percent more snowfall than downtown in the same event, a key driver for CSS des Premières-Seigneuries closures.
- Continental cold from Laurentian uplands
The Laurentian Mountains north of the city are typically 5 to 10 °C colder than the river valley. When katabatic flows push that air down into the metropolitan area, transition zones produce sharp gradients where Sainte-Foy can see freezing rain while Charlesbourg gets all snow.
- Freezing rain, less common but more intense
Quebec City sits further north than Montreal, so freezing rain events are less frequent. When they do occur, the cold air dam is typically deeper and the ice accretion heavier than what Montreal experiences in the same synoptic setup, producing more dangerous walking conditions for the same warning thresholds.
History
Notable Quebec City snow days in recent winters
Storms and ice events that shaped how Quebec City school boards approach the morning call.
February 2007 Quebec City snowstorm
February 13-15, 2007A two-day Colorado low track funneled up the St. Lawrence and dumped more than 50 cm of snow on Quebec City. CSS de la Capitale closed all schools, and the storm is regularly cited as the modern benchmark for a multi-day shutdown in the provincial capital.
Tempête du Siècle
March 4-5, 1971The legendary March 1971 storm deposited more than 60 cm of snow on Quebec City with hurricane-force winds. Drifts reached the eaves of houses across the Capitale-Nationale, the city was effectively shut down for days, and the storm remains the reference event in Quebec winter folklore.
Great Ice Storm
January 5-10, 1998The Great Ice Storm coated Quebec City along with Montreal and eastern Ontario in 70+ mm of freezing rain over five days. While Montérégie was harder hit, Quebec City schools closed and the event reset the province’s threshold for what counts as a major ice event.
December 2012 Quebec City snowstorm
December 27-28, 2012A pre-holiday-return storm dropped 45 cm of snow across the Capitale-Nationale. Although schools were already on the holiday break, the storm closed Jean Lesage International Airport for nearly a full day and stranded thousands of travellers.
January 2022 Quebec winter storm
January 17, 2022A potent low tracking up the St. Lawrence delivered 35 cm of snow with sustained winds above 60 km/h. All three Quebec City CSS closed in unison, the kind of synchronized regional closure that only occurs in storms severe enough to overwhelm normal snow clearance.
Early-season Quebec City snowstorm
November 23, 2018An unusually early November low deposited 25 cm of snow on the Capitale-Nationale before residents had completed winter tire installation. Bus operators including Autobus Charest cancelled across the region, and the storm became a recurring reference for the risk of pre-December events.
FAQ
Quebec City snow day frequently asked questions
The 7 questions Quebec City parents and teachers ask us most.
Will CSS de la Capitale close tomorrow?
Type your Quebec City postal code or "Quebec City, Quebec" into the predictor above. The Centre de services scolaire de la Capitale (CSS de la Capitale) serves the central urban core and announces closures by 6:00 am the morning of via its website and social media. Our forecast gives you an advance probability the night before based on overnight snowfall, freezing rain accumulation, and wind chill across the Capitale-Nationale.
Why does Quebec City get more snow than any other Canadian city?
Quebec City averages roughly 300 cm of snow each season, more than Toronto, Montreal, or Vancouver. The cause is geography: the St. Lawrence River channels Atlantic moisture directly into the Capitale-Nationale from the northeast, while Arctic air from Hudson Bay and the Laurentian uplands keeps temperatures cold enough to convert that moisture to snow. Few other Canadian cities sit at the intersection of a major moisture conduit and reliably cold continental air, which is why Quebec City’s totals stand alone.
Will school be cancelled in Sainte-Foy or Beauport tomorrow?
Sainte-Foy is served by CSS des Découvreurs and partially by CSS de la Capitale, while Beauport falls under CSS des Premières-Seigneuries. Because each centre de services makes its own call, you can have CSS de la Capitale open in the urban core while CSS des Premières-Seigneuries closes in Beauport because of snowbelt enhancement from the Côte-de-Beaupré. Enter your specific postal code in the predictor to get the forecast for your exact neighbourhood.
Does CSS des Découvreurs always close with CSS de la Capitale?
No. CSS des Découvreurs covers Sainte-Foy west, Sillery, and Cap-Rouge, while CSS de la Capitale serves the central core. The two boards usually align in major storms but can diverge for borderline events, particularly when freezing rain is concentrated along the river or when wind chill thresholds are met in only part of the region. Each board makes an independent closure decision and communicates it through its own channels.
How does Quebec City winter compare to Montreal?
Quebec City averages roughly 50 percent more snowfall than Montreal each season, runs 2 to 4 °C colder in January and February, and sees more frequent extreme wind chill events. Montreal, sitting further south and west, experiences more freezing rain because warm air aloft is more common in southwestern Quebec. The practical effect: Quebec City closes schools more often for snow and cold, while Montreal closes more often for ice.
Will Central Quebec School Board English schools close with the French CSS?
Central Quebec School Board (CQSB) covers an enormous territory from Quebec City east through Gaspé. CQSB sometimes aligns its Quebec City closure decision with the surrounding French CSS, but it manages its own transportation and may close some regions while keeping others open. CQSB closures are announced on its website and through school administrators directly.
How does the Atlantic moisture funnel produce Quebec City snowfalls?
When a low-pressure system tracks up the eastern seaboard or moves out of the Great Lakes toward the Maritimes, the St. Lawrence River valley acts as a low-elevation corridor that channels moist Atlantic air northeast directly into the Capitale-Nationale. As that air cools and rises over the Laurentian foothills east of the city, it releases moisture as heavy snowfall. The same synoptic setup that produces 15 cm in Montreal often produces 30 cm or more in Quebec City.
Near Quebec City
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: Montreal · Laval · Gatineau · Longueuil · Sherbrooke · Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
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