This report describes the climatological and meteorological aspects of the January 1998 ice storm in Quebec, which not only caused loss of life but also severely disrupted or paralyzed public services such as electricity, transport, and food supplies. Sections 1 and 2 cover the causes of the types of precipitation which occurred during the storm and the processes & local features that facilitate the formation of freezing precipitation in Quebec. Section 3 reviews the meteorological situation during the week of January 4-10 and its impact on the development of the ice storm. Section 4 describes the observation networks and techniques for measuring and monitoring freezing precipitation. Section 5 describes the development of the storm over January 4-10 in terms of changes in temperature and precipitation, and section 6 analyzes the types and quantities of precipitation during the storm. Section 7 covers the variations in wind speed and direction during the storm. The climatic significance of the storm in terms of the occurrence, duration, and quantity of precipitation is discussed in chapter 8, with reference to other episodes of freezing precipitation. The final section evaluates the involvement of El Nino and of higher levels of greenhouse gases in the occurrence of significant weather events such as the ice storm.