Lots of snow melting in Montreal

A snow eating thaw is upon us with temperatures well above normal and warm gusty southwest winds. The temperature on Tuesday managed to reach 2C here in southern Quebec, about 8 degrees above the normal high for early January. The trend will continue well into Sunday with highs warming to nearly 8C (48F) by Saturday afternoon. Skies will be cloudy for most of the time with the occasional round of precipitation. Today we will see a very mild day once the chill of the morning wears away. Temperatures around Montreal at the moment are -5C at the airport, but much colder off island including a -9C reading here on L'Ile Perrot. It is after all January, with lots of snow cover and clear skies provide ideal conditions for rapid cooling. It will be a breezy day today ahead of a cold front with winds gusting to 60km/h this afternoon. Look for some showers possible with the frontal passage and perhaps a few flurries overnight. Thursday will be a little cooler than today but still well above normal with highs today at 4C and Thursday at 1C. Friday will be wet and mild with light rain and perhaps some freezing rain in the mornings, especially northeast of Montreal. By Saturday the mild air will be well established as mentioned, and this will last into Sunday before much cooler air arrives by Monday with temperatures returning to normal values with some snow possible to start the week.