Summer warmth on the way

Much warmer air will surge into the St. Lawrence Valley this week, with highs reaching the upper 20's.

I'm back! After taking a week break in coastal New England and Boston, it is back to the daily grind. What a weather week we had across North America as the bizarre spring of 2016 continues to unfold. I was in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, where the week started off and ended sunny and warm. In between, the weather seemed to change every five minutes. Such was the case across southern Quebec and Ontario as well, as extremely cold air swept across the region last Sunday and into the middle part of the work week. Snow fell across large portions of Quebec, including scattered flurries in Montreal early Monday morning, May 16.

The good news is we appear to have turned a corner. Indications are that a major pattern shift is underway that will lead to summer-like warmth to end the month. We are already seeing warmer weather this weekend, with high temperatures either side of 25C (77F). The only twist in the forecast this weekend so far, is coastal low pressure near Cape Cod. It has produced more clouds than sun for Sunday here in the St. Lawrence Valley, along with the outside chance of a shower or thunderstorm. The start of this upcoming week in Montreal will be sunny and warm. Conditions will become more humid by Wednesday, with perhaps some showers or thunderstorms. Temperatures will remain above the normal of 21C (70F) all week. A nice change from spring so far.