Showers for the Grand Prix weekend in Montreal

Rain in 2011 made for a very exciting Canadian Grand Prix, if you were watching from the comfort of your couch. It will be showery and cool at the drop of the green flag this year, but it should not be a washout.

The Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix is this weekend at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal. Tens of thousands of race fans and team members will pour into the city for the annual event, all hoping for good weather. There is some good news and bad news for the upcoming race weekend.

Thursday morning, deep low pressure, along with the remains of tropical storm Colin, continues to pull away to the northeast out into the Atlantic. The broad circulation around these features will continue to pull down unseasonably cold and unstable air into southern Quebec and New England. The result is an October-like morning in Montreal, with a low temperature of 8C (48F) along with gusty northwest winds. The weather will remain cloudy and cool today, with gusty unpleasant winds up to 60km/h and occasional showers. The temperature will struggle to reach 16C (60F). At present, Friday looks much better, as the aforementioned low releases its grip and high pressure arrives from the Great Lakes. Sunshine will prevail and the mercury will respond, rising into the middle 20's (24C/75F). So far Saturday looks decent in the morning, before clouds and perhaps some showers and thunderstorms arrive for the afternoon, as yet another cold front moves in. The high will be 21C (70F). The front will leave behind a cool and blustery race day Sunday in Montreal. Expect mostly cloudy conditions, some showers, and temperatures well below normal at 16C (60F). If the rain stays away, the cooler weather will actually be better for race fans and drivers alike.

A veiled view of Mount Washington in New Hampshire this morning showing a wintry landscape in June. (MWOBS via Twitter)

JUNE SNOW
How cold is it this morning across our region? The current temperature is only 4C (39F) in St Agathe, north of Montreal, with most other locations in the 6C to 10C (43 to 50F) range. On the summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire, the current temperature is -4C (25F), along with snow and sleet and a northwest wind of 122km/h gusting to 135km/h (76mph gusts to 84mph). The windchill is -17C (1F). It certainly does not feel like June!