Warm sunshine

Above: Heavy rain and rapidly melting snow have been producing major flooding in northern New Jersey. Water is slowly receding this week. Several counties have been declared disaster areas.

The warm March sun will push temperatures well above freezing today across New England, Ontario and southern Quebec with highs running in the plus 3 to 7C range. We are chilly this morning at -5C with a little black ice on the roads. Keep in mind lots of melting during the day leads to icy patches at night. Some drivers have forgotten this spring process and ended up on their roofs this morning here in Montreal.

The good news with this spell of mild weather is that a slow melt is underway. The snow pack was quite deep and a rapid melt was likely to produce flooding in Quebec and Ontario. The sunshine today will be replaced by increasing clouds overnight as low pressure in the Ohio Valley moves east. Look for a little light mixed precipitation early Wednesday morning before a change to showers in the afternoon. The balance of the week will be unsettled with some sunny breaks on Thursday before more rain arrives on Friday. Cooler weather is expected on the weekend, but at this time, no major storms are on the horizon. In Vermont and New York the flooding from melting snow and ice has slowed as well this week.

Temperatures all week will be above normal reaching as high as 10C (50F) by Thursday. Rain and snowfall are expected to be light at this time.

Japan disaster: The death toll continues to rise in the wake of the devastating Tsunami and Earthquake last Friday in northern Japan. Please remember to donate to the Red Cross if you can.