White Christmas? Nope. It's 2020!

Dreaming of a white Christmas? Maybe in 2021. 

The forecast for much of southern Quebec is for rain, and lots of it.

On Tuesday morning, Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for much of the province, including the Montreal and Quebec City areas: expect between 20 and 60 millimetres of rain, and strong, sustained winds on Dec. 25.

Heavy rains are also expected in the Saguenay region, Quebec's North Shore as well as parts of the Lower North Shore, the Mauricie Region and western Quebec.

Some models show as much as 100 millimetres of rain could fall in some areas and it'll start Christmas Eve, according to Environment Canada meteorologist Antoine Petit.

Rainfall is expected over the whole province, the weather agency says. These conditions will spread from west to east through Christmas Day and may cause flash floods and pooling on roads.

The areas north of the St. Lawrence River are expected to be most affected.

Green Christmas more likely

The rain and wind will come with unusually high temperatures, with highs of 11 C expected on Christmas Day in Quebec City and 12 C in Montreal.

And then, possible freezing rain that may turn to snow and may cause icy road conditions.

Petit said the Sainte-Anne River, northeast of Trois-Rivières, and Quebec City's Lorette River should be watched for possible flooding.

As for those hoping for a white Christmas, Environment Canada's Alexandre Parent says that's not likely given the minimal snow cover in places like the Outaouais, the greater Montreal region, the Eastern Townships and Trois-Rivières.

All that rain means there is "much more chance that we will have a green Christmas than a white Christmas for these areas," he said.