Frigid cold weekend for Montreal with more snow

The icy St. Lawrence River as frigid air moves into southern Quebec. The weather will remain very cold well into next week, with the potential for significant snowfall late Sunday into Monday for Montreal.

Extreme Cold Warnings are up for a large portion of Canada and the Northern US, including here in Quebec, but excluding metro Montreal at this time. Bundle up this weekend, protect your hands and face, wear layers and make certain your pets are safe. The extreme cold is especially hard on the the very young and seniors. This is January in Montreal, we have this.

The North American weather map it lit up from coast to coast to coast with weather warnings. Most are related to intense cold and snow squalls in Canada, with heavy snow and freezing rain across the US from New England to Texas.

For Montreal the coldest air of the season will move into southern Ontario and Quebec Friday behind an arctic boundary. That front may trigger more flurries and squalls on Friday afternoon. The boundary will also introduce frigid air to the St. Lawrence Valley. How cold? On Friday morning, North Bay, Ontario is already down to -20C (-4F), with Thunder Bay at -32C (-25F). 

Further west, extreme cold warnings are in effect across Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Every reporting station in Saskatchewan is colder than -30C Friday morning, including -43.3C (-46F) at Uranium City. Windchills are as cold as -50C(-59F).

It will not get that cold in Montreal, but we are looking at falling temperatures and increasing winds for Friday. Our high has been reached for Friday, around -9C (16F), with temperatures falling throughout the day down to morning lows Saturday of -24C (-11F) in the city. Lows wil approach -30C in many off island locations. Gusty west winds of 20-50km/h will result in -30C to -40C windchills values.

SUNDAY SNOWSTORM UPDATE

Winds will ease on Saturday, but the weather will remain very cold, with a high of -19C (-2F). On Sunday, computer guidance continues to shift the US winter storm northward along the Eastern Seaboard, with winter storm watches now up right to the Canadian border. 

What that means for Montreal is snow starting Sunday afternoon and persisting into the Monday morning commute, along with gusty northeast winds, blowing snow and very cold temperatures. Temperatures with the snow will be around -13C (9F). It is still a little early too speculate and storm totals as the system is still evolving, but we are looking at the possibility of more than 10cm here in the city, with much more south and east. Stay tuned!

Snowy and cold forecast for southern Quebec

Crews have been kept busy this January, with snow falling on 18 of the 21 days to date. While daily amounts have been on the light side, it has resulted in 40 to 50cm  falling across the Montreal region This has required almost daily salting and plowing. Roads have been less than ideal and highly variable, with numerous accidents. (Valley Weather Photo)

Snow Squall Watch in effect for Thursday.

Much of southwestern Quebec and Ontario is set to have the coldest air of the season arrive behind a series of arctic boundaries over the next 36 hours. Wednesday evening, an overperforming warm front is delivering a few centimetres of snow to the Montreal region. Roads have become snow covered and icy, with numerous accidents reported, including a major crash on Highway 40 in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue.

Low pressure will travel well northwest of Montreal as the warm front lifts north of the city. Warmer air will briefly arrive overnight and into the first part of Thursday, with highs near -3C (27F). On Thursday, the first cold front arrives in the afternoon, along with increasing southwest winds and occasional snow squalls. Some of the squalls may be briefly intense, with heavy snow and blowing snow. Up to 5cm of fresh is possible in the Montreal region.

Temperatures will drop throughout the day Thursday and into Friday morning, down to -12C (10F). On Friday a secondary arctic front arrives, with the chance for more snow flurries. Skies will be partly cloudy, and it will be cold, with very little temperature rise. Both Thursday and Friday, winds will be gusty from the southwest first, backing to the northwest, 40-70km/h.

Friday night, cold arctic high pressure will settle into the region, with clear skies and frigid temperatures. Overnight lows will drop into the -20s, with windchills in the minus 30's. Saturday will be fair and frigid, with highs no better than -20C (-4C) and dangerous windchill values.

SUNDAY SNOWSTORM?

The big US winter storm that is forecast to move across the deep south and along the eastern seaboard, may impact us after all late Sunday and Monday. Some forecast models are indicating several centimetres of snow for parts of the St. Lawrence Valley, along with gusty northeast winds and bitter cold. Stay tuned for more details as this system develops over the next few days.

Snow squalls and frigid weather for the week ahead

Snow squalls in southern Quebec and especially along the 401 corridor in Ontario, will make for dangerous and highly changeable road conditions Monday and Tuesday. Strong winds and frigid cold return this week, with the chance for more snow. Even colder air arrives by next weekend, with lows in the -20s.

Snow Squall Watch - Cornwall to Montreal. Afternoon and evening snow squalls are possible for Montreal and southern Quebec.

Snow Squall Warning - west of Cornwall to Port Hope - Lake effect snow squalls today, with dangerous travel expected along Highway 401.

Cold from Montreal all the way to Florida and west across the Great lakes will be the big story this week. Several arctic boundaries will introduce progressively colder air this week, along with scattered snow showers and snow squalls. Some of the squalls, especially close to the Great lakes, will be very intense, with blizzard conditions, heavy snow, zero visibility and dangerous windchills.

For Montreal, we can expect light snow today ahead of the main front, as low pressure travels well north of the city. Temperatures will be around -5C (23F). Monday afternoon and evening, the front arrives, accompanied by strong southwest winds up to 70km/h and occasional flurries, with the risk of squalls. Generally less than 5cm is expected, but some locations toward the Ontario border may see as much as 10cm. Strong winds will cause blowing snow and reduced visibility.

Very cold temperatures flood in behind the front, along with strong winds into Tuesday. Lows will drop to -15C (5F) and struggle to -12C (10F) on Tuesday. Windchill values will be in the minus 20s Even colder air arrives by the end of the week, but will will cover that in future posts.

For Ontario, dangerous snow squall are forecast to develop off Lake Ontario an impact the region along the 401 corridor from Cornwall to Port Hope. In this zone 10 to 20cm is possible, with very poor travel conditions. Visibility in 70-90km/h winds will drop to near-zero at times. Travel along the 401 from Montreal is not advised today.

Snow fell as far south as northern Florida over the weekend. Even colder air will spread south over the upcoming week. (Photo: Florida Weather Center)

The squalls are expected to be so intense, that Environment Canada has issued a rare Blizzard Warning for Prince Edward County at the northeast corner of Lake Ontario. Strong winds up to 90km/h, will be accompanied by heavy snow, with 20-40cm possible. Those same conditions will be possible along Interstate 81 south towards Watertown and also east of Lake Huron.

Over the weekend, freezing temperatures and snow occurred as far south as the Florida panhandle. More frigid weather and snow is likely this week and into next weekend, from New England to Florida.

Storm sideswipes Montreal region - impacts Ontario

Unfortunately Thursdays storm across southern Ontario and Quebec resulted in several serious multi-vehicle collisions. The one above involved at least 20 vehicles, east of Mallorytown on eastbound Highway 401. The highway was closed for hours. There were several serious injuries reported as a result. (OPP Photo) 

It has been a difficult winter predicting snow amounts for the Montreal region. Thursday was no different as the storm underperformed across southern Quebec. The system developed very quickly from a combination of factors and then began weakening just as fast. In the end, dry air worked into the the eastern side of the storm and moved over southwestern Quebec basically shutting off the snowfall early. Montreal received 8cm, with Saint Anicet measuring 13cm.

Despite the lower quantities, the combination of gusty winds and dropping temperatures made for very difficult driving conditions on and off the Island of Montreal. There were several major accidents, including closures along Highway 132 on the South Shore, and Highway 40 near Pointe Fortune, after a semi ran into the back of a snowplow.

Despite the lower amounts of snow observed across southern Quebec with the current storm, roads were still treacherous, with several major accidents reported. Roads remain slick Friday morning, with cold temperatures, black ice and packed snow on some neighbourhood streets. Gusty west winds are resulting in blowing snow on off-island highways. (Valley Weather)

In Ontario, the storm was fierce, with very heavy snow, strong winds and frigid temperatures. Near-blizzard conditions around Toronto resulted in the closure of several Highways, including the Don Valley Parkway. The heavy snow spread east and north impacting the Ottawa Valley and 401 corridor towards Cornwall. East of Kingston there was a major multi-vehicle collision, with serious injuries, involving at least 20 vehicles. The highway was closed for hours near Mallorytown. The storm also closed most schools across the GTA and delayed operations at Pearson International. School busses were cancelled across all of eastern Ontario.

Snowfall amounts were very impressive in southern Ontario, with 50cm in Scarborough North, 25 to 30cm in Toronto and 18cm at Ottawa Airport. Other parts of the National Capital Region had close to 30cm. Along the Seaway, 15 to 20cm fell from Cornwall to Kingston.

After the storm, arctic air has settled into the Montreal region, along with snow flurries. The temperature Friday morning was -16C (4F), combined with winds up to 40km/h to produce windchills as cold as -27C (-17F). Friday will be blustery and cold all day, with highs struggling to reach -10C (14F). Temperatures will warm Friday night into Saturday, as another clipper system skirts to our south. Highs will rise all the way to -1C (30F). We may see a few flurries or perhaps some light snow into Saturday. The warming will be brief, as arctic air returns to start the new week.

Storm sweeps across southern Ontario and Quebec

Accidents on Highway 20 near Morgan Road have snarled traffic across Ile Perrot, making for a long commute onto the Island of Montreal Thursday morning.

Snowfall Warning for all of southern Quebec and Ontario for 15-30cm of snow 

As forecast, strong low pressure has developed over western New York and is slowly drifting northeast towards Vermont. A swath of heavy snow has developed north and west of the low, primarily impacting southern Ontario Thursday morning. Lighter snow is falling here in southwestern Quebec.

In Montreal, the rain changed over to light snow later than expected, around 5am Thursday morning. Also a dry slot is developing south of the city, which may end snow for a spell later this morning. As a result, only 2cm has fallen so far, with another 10cm or so on the way. A snowfall warning remains in effect. Regardless of the amount of snow, icy road conditions due to rapidly falling temperatures, and gusty winds are producing very dangerous driving conditions. 

In Montreal, temperatures have fallen from 2C (36F) to -5C (23F) since midnight. There have been numerous accidents in the Montreal region as a result of icy roads, including one along Highway 132 westbound near Highway 20 on the South Shore, involving 10 vehicles. Several cars have also spun out on Highway 20 on the West Island, guaranteeing a slow commute off Ile Perrot and points west. Also, surprise, the REM commuter train is down on the Two Mountains line due to the weather.

In southern Ontario, very heavy snow and strong winds are producing very dangerous driving conditions around the GTA and all along Highway 401. Temperatures have plummeted to -14C (7F) in Toronto, with visibility under 1km in heavy snow and blowing snow., Winds have gusted over 50km/h. The weather warning has been upgraded to orange for Toronto, with close to 30cm forecast.  Most flights are delayed or cancelled at Pearson Airport on Thursday morning.

Light snow will continue into Friday morning in Montreal, with another centimetre or two possible. Winds will be gusty from the northwest 20-40km/h, with lows around -15C (5F). Windchill values will drop into the minus 20s.

Strong arctic front - dropping temperatures and snow for the Montreal region

Snowfall predictions have been difficult all season for the Montreal area, with highly variable temperatures across the region and challenging storm tracks. Monday was no different, as an over performing clipper system brought 7cm to the region. The forecast was for 1-2cm. Another challenging forecast lies ahead for southern Quebec over the next 24 hours. (Valley Weather Photo)

Yellow Snowfall Warning in effect for Southern Quebec.

It is a spring-like 5C (41F) in Montreal on Wednesday morning, along with light rain and massive potholes. A mix of rain and snow fell overnight, with only minor accumulations. We can expect a drastic change in our weather over the next 24 hours, as a strong cold front sinks southeast across Ontario and Quebec. Very cold air will surge in behind that front along with rain changing to snow.

Low pressure is forecast to develop along the sagging cold front late today in western New York. That storm will move northeast into northern Vermont on Thursday and Atlantic Canada by Friday. North and west of the track snow will develop. Models are all over the place with accumulations as this is a rather complex set up. The low end predictions are for 5cm or less, while some higher end estimates are for up to 30cm. All depends on the timing of the cold air arrival and development and track of the storm system.

Most forecasters are going right up the middle with snowfall estimates, so we can expect rain to change to snow after midnight in Montreal. The snow may become heavy at times through Thursday, as the low pressure strengthens and passes to our south. For Montreal and most of southern Quebec, a general 10-15cm is expected. More may fall just north of the city and across upstate New York, with less in the Ottawa Valley and Vermont.

Temperatures will be warm on Wednesday, around 5C (41F), dropping quickly behind the cold front overnight to -5C (23F) by morning. Temperatures will continue to fall Thursday into Friday morning, with morning lows near -12C (10F). Friday will remain blustery and cold, with flurries and steady temperatures.

Winds will be gusty from the southwest Wednesday between 20-40km/h, backing to the west and northwest after midnight, up to 30km/h.

Expect very challenging driving conditions across eastern Ontario and southern Quebec for the morning commute on Thursday, with falling snow, dropping temperatures and snow-packed icy roads.

Colder weather on the horizon for southern Quebec

A quick hitting storm Saturday night left about 10cm of slushy, wet snow across the region. Main roads were in decent shape by Sunday morning, but many neighbourhood streets were snow covered and icy as temperatures fell later in the day. Gusty west winds helped dry roads overnight in time for the Monday morning commute. (Valley Weather)

I mentioned in my last post my concern that Saturday nights storm might be a bust. It was for most of us as both milder and dry air worked into the system. with less of an influence from the coastal storm. Montreal still managed about 10cm of wet snow, with some locations off island receiving as much as 15cm. The precipitation ended quickly and was followed my a mild and partly sunny Sunday, so some melting took place. In the end, it was not much of a storm, with minimal impacts.

The trend of weak systems will persist this week, with the first arriving in a few hours. We can expect periods of light snow Monday, with perhaps a centimetre or two. Warmer southwest winds will develop, with a high near -2C (29F). Temperatures will warm further on Tuesday and Wednesday, with highs above freezing in the 2C to 5C (35F to 40F) range. As a result any scattered precipitation that does occur, will likely be in the form of rain. The parade of weak weather systems continues, with another passing well north of Montreal late Tuesday.

The advertised much colder air arrives by Thursday as a strong cold front will open the door to arctic air pooling to our north. The front will be accompanied by a burst of snow and strong winds either late Wednesday or early Thursday. Highs on Thursday will be chilly, around -10C (14F), along with gusty winds. The cold will persist into next weekend.

At this time, no major storms are on the horizon for Montreal. A coastal system on Thursday or Friday should remain well south and east of southern Quebec. That may change but for now the weather should remain dry and cold for Montreal into next weekend.