Flooding, climate change force Quebecers to rethink relationship with water | CBC News
Jason Thistlethwaite, professor of environment and business at the University of Waterloo, said Quebecers can expect flooding to get worse because climate change is making winter temperatures more volatile.
Sudden waves of warm weather followed by quick drops in temperatures increase the risk of ice accumulating on the rivers in the winter, he said.
The ice jams act as a dam, holding back water, and when the ice begins to melt and move, the dam bursts.
That’s exactly what happened in Beauceville this week, when an ice jam broke and water rushed through downtown, flooding at least 230 buildings in the small town south of Quebec City.