Big Nor'Easter

Oh so close. The seasons first big snowstorm should miss Montreal.

An early season snowstorm is taking shape tonight across the middle Atlantic and into the northeast. Snowstorms in late October are not uncommon, I have experienced them in Saskatchewan and in Ontario. What makes this unusual is how far south the snow is expected to fall. Low pressure currently over Virginia will re develop as a major coastal low off the Carolina coast on Saturday. Strengthening northerly winds on the backside of the storm will pull down just enough cold air to change rain to snow inland. Heavy rain will fall along the coast with strong winds and coastal flooding. A cold rain will overspread the region from Maryland and Virginia northeast into southern interior New England on Saturday and gradually change to heavy wet snow late in the evening. Winter Storm Warnings are scattered from southern Vermont across New York and into Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. The wet snow will accumulate at least 6 inches in these locations with as much as 12 inches quite possible in a swath across southeastern New York into Massachusetts. The wet snow will likely pull down trees and power lines across the northeast and New England.

If you are travelling to Sherbrooke or the Eastern Townships (Highway 10) late Saturday or early Sunday, expect to encounter snow there as well. Only 2-4cm (1-2 inches) is forecast as Quebec remains at this time on the northern edge of the storm. Montreal can expect increasing cloud cover, cool temperatures and a gusty northeast winds up to 40km/h by late Saturday as a result of the storm. No snow is forecast for Montreal at this time. The storm will move into Atlantic Canada on Sunday with heavy snow, rain and strong winds.