Spring?

Flooding along Hilly Lane in North Grenville (Ottawa Citizen)

There is lots to talk about on this Sunday morning. Lets start with the easy stuff, the forecast for the Montreal St. Patrick's Day parade today. High pressure over the region will provide bright sunshine and warm temperatures with highs close to plus 5C. It is a chilly start to the morning with temperatures in and around southern Quebec, Ontario and northern New England in the -5 to -10C range. Next, the Vernal Equinox is today, in other words spring arrives. You made it through another winter, imagine that. I have not seen the grass in my front yard since late November. While it was not a severe winter, it was winter, long, chilly and with a decent amount of snow this season. And we may not be done, more on that in a second. The extended daylight is awesome, with over 12 hours In Montreal today.

FLOODING

We have some major spring flooding underway in several areas around the region. Lets start along the Rideau and Kemptville Creek. You can read the current bulletin on the RVCA website, however it is a little dated. Flooding is actually occurring in North Grenville along the Rideau River. Water has flooded some roads and homes closest to the river. Meanwhile in upstate New York along the Great Chazy River, ice jams and snow melt has lead to major flooding at Parry Mills and downstream at Champlain along the US/Canada border. Some businesses and homes have been flooded on Main Street in Champlain, along with water on Routes 11 and 9. More flooding is occurring in northern Franklin County, Vermont near Swanton and Highgate.

SNOWFALL WARNING

Finally I have save the best for last. Despite it being the first day of spring, we have a snowfall warning for Montreal and southern Quebec for Monday. Low pressure over the Great Lakes will push eastward with snow moving into Montreal on Monday. The entire region will have snow with 5-10cm in eastern Ontario and the Adirondacks and 10-15cm in Montreal and points north. The snow will be wet and heavy and could mix with rain near the US border. Winds will become strong as well with gusts over 50km/h. The snow should taper to flurries by late in the day. Temperatures will be at or just above freezing. You have to lobe March, it was close to 12C in Montreal on Friday, and now snow. More snow and chilly temperatures are expected this week as the seasons fight for position.