Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Weather changes on the horizon

A powerful storm that has been slamming Washington State and B.C. will begin to move east, finally nudging the high pressure that has been giving us record sunshine off to our east. AP Photo Don Ryan
We have been enjoying a spectacular November with abundant sunshine and seasonable temperatures here in southern Quebec and eastern Ontario. As of this morning only 8.8mm of precipitation has been recorded at Trudeau Airport in Montreal. This is roughly 10% of normal with rainfall on only 5 days this month. As I have mentioned already, November is typically the dullest month of the year.

We are dealing with some fog again this morning that is actually causing some delays and cancellations at some US airports on this busy travel day. The intense weather remains along both coasts but changes are in the air. This morning that pesky storm that brought heavy snow, rain and strong winds the the Pacific Northwest, is beginning to rise up and over the Rockies. That storm has produced major flooding, toppled trees and cut power to over 20,000 homes in Washington and Oregon. A push of arctic air will greet the front producing snow and freezing rain in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan. Up to 20cm of snow is possible for Calgary with increasing winds and dropping temperatures over the next 24 hours. In contrast ahead of the cold front Montreal and most of Quebec and Ontario will remain mild with highs from 6 to 10C.

We are in for a couple of more days of sunshine before that cold front arrives in Quebec by late Saturday. The trend into the weekend will be for much colder temperatures with highs at or below freezing into early next week. There will also be a chance for some light snow or flurries by Monday. Next week looks much cooler with perhaps some measurable snow by late in the week.

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