A taste of spring

A sad and surreal sight on Monday as snow covers tornado damage in Kentucky.

Warm weather is on our doorstep here in southern Quebec. We had another cold start to the day with temperatures close to -18C in many areas. The bright March sun quickly made it feel much better and we are sitting at -4C here on L'Ile Perrot at 5pm. Despite the cold start to the day I even noticed a little bit of melting in my back yard this morning. There will be lots more of that over the next 24 to 48 hours as high pressure moves off the east coast and sets of a mild southerly flow of air. Temperatures will rise slowly overnight and on Wednesday soar to plus 10C or 11C. A few flurries will accompany the warm air overnight as it streams into the region.

Warm temperatures are expected up and down the east coast including tornado ravaged Kentucky which could use the good weather to help with clean up and recovery efforts. Winds are forecast to increase out of the southwest in the St. Lawrence Valley and gust as high as 70km/h on Wednesday. Another warm day is on tap for Thursday before a cold front brings us some showers and cooler temperatures later in the day. Friday at this point looks more seasonable with perhaps a few flurries or showers.

Winter weather is holding on in Newfoundland tonight as a blizzard bears down on St. John's and the eastern portion of the province. The heavy snow is just about to start along the coast as low pressure moves just offshore. Up to 30cm of snow is expected, accompanied by strong winds approaching hurricane force in coastal communities. Inland snow and blowing snow is forecast with 10-20cm and 100km/h wind gusts.