First Winter Storm for Montreal

NOAA sat image this morning showing a winter storm over the upper Midwest moving into the Great Lakes.

Environment Canada has issued a winter storm warning for metro Montreal and most of southern Quebec for late tonight into Monday morning. Freezing rain warnings are now in effect for the Ottawa Valley and most of southern and eastern Ontario. Winter weather advisories are in effect for northern New York and Vermont.

Low pressure over the upper Midwest is producing blizzard conditions across Minnesota and the Dakotas this morning and is expected to move east across the Great Lakes and down the St. Lawrence Valley on Monday. Montreal is expected to remain right along the track of the storm with very warm air remaining to our south. Today will be dry in Montreal with a high of 0C (32F). Precipitation is forecast to start near Toronto late this afternoon and spread towards the Ottawa Valley by midnight and into Quebec overnight. Snow will begin in Montreal around 1am with general amounts of 5 to 10cm (2 to 4 inches) by the morning commute with as much as 15cm north of the city. The snow will then mix with and change to freezing rain and finally drizzle by late in the day. A prolonged period of freezing rain is forecast for Montreal and Ottawa on Monday. Travel will be very difficult overnight and for the first half of Monday before temperatures warm above freezing by late in the day. Winds will be gusting to 50km/h on Monday. Look for lows in Montreal tonight in the snow of -5C with highs very late Monday of near 2C. While cold air remains trapped here in the St. Lawrence Valley, areas south of the border in New York and Vermont will go above freezing much quicker with rain on Monday.

I will post an update on this winter weather event late today.