Warmer air on the horizon

The cold weather continues to impact the Montreal region. This accident occurred early this morning on westbound Highway 20 in Pointe Claire.  An ambulance struck a stalled car and burst into flames. Thankfully only minor injuries.  The clean up and removal of ice & debris took several hours but the road is now open to traffic.(CJAD Photo)

The worst of the cold air has crested over the Montreal region with a slow climb back to more normal values expected. Temperatures this morning are cold, but not as brutal. We are showing temperatures generally in the -21 to -25C range, an improvement over the last several mornings. However, once again, we have a biting northwest wind that just cuts through anything you are wearing outdoors. Windchill readings range from the mid -20's down to as cold as -32C at Trudeau Airport. Roads continue to be a challenge with lots of black ice and the occasional stalled car. It was a disabled car on Highway 20 west near Cartier Avenue on the West Island that led to a spectacular accident this morning. The highway was shut for several hours after an Ambulance ran into a stalled car. The Highway has since reopened.

The weather today will be partly sunny as a few clouds skirt the area from low pressure passing well west and south of Montreal. That system may bring some light snow to southern Ontario into New York and Vermont and maybe a snowflake or two to eastern Ontario. There is the risk of some heavier squalls off Lake Ontario in the 401 corridor from the GTA east to Cobourg. Highs will be "warmer" today up to -17C or 2F. It will be cold again tonight before a moderation in temperatures over the weekend. Highs on Saturday and Sunday will be around -12C. By Monday a warm front will be pushing across the Great Lakes and into southern Quebec. The warm air overriding the cold air at the surface will produce a couple of days of light snow and mixed precipitation. Temperatures will warm above freezing to 2C (36F) briefly on Tuesday. Another cold shot of air will arrive by late next week. This outbreak does not look as severe as the current one was.