Colder weather returns

Lot's of puddles and potholes with fog and drizzle
this morning in Montreal at 3C. (ValleyWX)

We are very mild this morning in Montreal at plus 3C with rain. Ottawa is at 7C and Toronto at 10C after establishing a new record high yesterday at 11.3C. A warm front is in the process of lifting north of Montreal with the showers this morning coming to an end and some partial sunshine developing. Yesterday Montreal soared to plus 7C with plenty of sunshine and light winds. Any freezing rain was confined to the area well north and east of Montreal towards Quebec City. The cold air in the valley was pushed out quickly as the northeast wind subsided.

The warm air will push temperatures close to record values today across the entire region. Montreal may eclipse the previous record of 8.5C set in 1981, with portions of the Champlain Valley and eastern Ontario easily going over 10C and perhaps as high as 15C in Vermont The warmth and melting will be short lived so enjoy it. Already this morning a strong cold front is prompting wind warnings across southern Ontario and upstate New York. Winds will increase out of the southwest from 50-70km/h as the cold front approaches. Temperatures will begin to drop in Ontario today and Quebec overnight. The cold air will also produce some snow flurries and squalls overnight with a couple of centimetres possible. Temperatures will plummet from near 10C today down to -6C by Saturday morning. Anything melting today will freeze rapidly tonight, and trust me there are some big puddles and potholes out there.

Saturday will be windy and cold with some partial sunshine. Sunday will start off fair before clouds increase from the southwest in the afternoon. Snow will develop late Sunday night and continue into Monday. It will be breezy and even colder as winter returns. We could see snow in the 5-15cm range, but it is early in the forecast and the exact track of this low pressure takes it anywhere from just south of our region to well south of New England. We will just have to wait and see, but it will be colder that is certain.