One storm over - the next one on the way

Above: Kirkland on the West Island during Tuesday's storm. With piles of snow in Montreal and more on the way it looks like a white Christmas for the city and points north. Areas south to the US border and in New York and Vermont are still waiting for snow cover. (ValleyWX Pic).

This certainly has been a busy week in the weather department, a welcome change from what had been a dud of a season so far. Yesterday's storm was quite a surprise to many with the wet snow falling at a good rate most of the day from Montreal north into the Laurentians. Storm totals ranged from nothing in Lacolle and Napiereville near the US border to 8cm across the South Shore, 15cm in Montreal and Laval and over 20cm across the areas north and west of the city. The heavy snow snarled traffic with numerous accidents as well as cut power to almost 35,000 homes in Quebec. That system continues to give Montreal drizzle this morning with the mercury at 0C (32F) so there are slick spots out there once again. It will be a much easier commute than the one on Tuesday that featured hard packed snow on top of a layer of ice making it very difficult to get around until around noon.

We will have a damp and cloudy day today before a brighter Thursday with highs around 1C both days. This will be in advance of the next big storm expected to affect a large area of the US Plains and Midwest into the Great Lakes, Ontario and Quebec. Environment Canada has already posted a Special Weather Statement regarding this next storm, as it will arrive during a heavy travel period across North America. The storm will feature mixed precipitation and strong winds in Montreal and Ottawa starting early Friday and lasting well into Saturday. Depending on the exact track another 15cm or more of snow/ice/rain is expected. This storm will have two other features that the previous ones did not, strong gusty winds and plunging temperatures behind it. There are plenty of details to work out so check back for updates. I will post once again this evening.