Pleasant in the east

The ice is on the move on the St. Lawrence River. Outside my home today the river has been changing every hour. Some times it is filled with ice the next moment ice free. The Seaway has yet to open but signs of life were present today as a US Coast Guard boat moved west towards Ontario from Montreal (below). Some geese were actually along on an ice flow for the ride downstream at about 9am. The weather will remain fair and mild this weekend in our area with just a chance of showers Sunday.

Thankfully here in the east it appears flooding will not be an issue. It has been a very dry month in Ontario and Quebec and most of the snow is now gone. The same can’t be said for western North America. A stubborn storm track has been producing severe weather on a weekly basis in March. The most recent blizzard that affected the Dakotas and Manitoba has been replaced by another equally severe storm. Low pressure has moved form Colorado into the southern plains. Heavy snow and blizzard conditions are being reported from Colorado to northern Texas while south and east of there thunderstorms and tornadoes are occurring from Louisiana to Florida. This storm will be replaced by another on Sunday and yet another next week. As long as the storm track remain out west the weather will continue to be mild and dry here in Ontario and Quebec. Yesterday both Montreal and Ottawa recorded about 8mm of rain, only a drop in the bucket, and that was the single largest precipitation event for this month. So as you can see in stark contrast to last year it is very dry.

The severe flooding along the Red River in North Dakota has slowed slightly because of colder weather, but still remains serious. The river is expected to crest at 43 feet near Fargo this weekend. That would be the highest flood on record. Further downstream in Grand Forks and northward into Manitoba, they continue to prepare and hope for the best. The weather is not expected to cooperate with the chance for more significant precipitation across the watershed this weekend and into next week.