A freezing rain storm in Lachenaie, a neighborhood of Terrebonne near Montreal, is the result of a very specific and often dangerous meteorological setup. Freezing rain occurs when a layer of warm air sits above a shallow layer of cold air near the ground. Snowflakes melt into rain as they fall through the warmer layer, then instantly freeze on contact with surfaces that remain below zero. Roads, sidewalks, trees, and power lines quickly become coated in a smooth, transparent layer of ice, often referred to as glaze ice.
In urban and suburban areas, this type of storm can severely disrupt daily life, making travel hazardous and increasing the risk of accidents and power outages. Even a few millimeters of ice are enough to turn asphalt into a surface as slick as a skating rink. In rare cases like this one, residential streets become so uniformly iced over that they offer conditions similar to outdoor ice rinks. While this creates a striking visual and an unusual opportunity for skating, it also highlights how unpredictable and intense winter weather can be in southern Quebec. Events like these serve as a reminder of the region’s vulnerability to extreme weather and the importance of caution during freezing rain storms, which remain among the most disruptive winter phenomena in Canada.