First snowflakes of the season expected in Montreal

Snowy commute on L'Ile Perrot, November 24, 2015. This could easily be the scene by Monday morning. Much colder weather and the chance of some snow is expected by the end of the weekend and next week. Get your snow tires on now.

Roughly in-line with 2015, the first snow of the season is forecast for Montreal by the end of the upcoming weekend. Before we reach that point, very mild air will surge northward into Ontario and Quebec to end this week. Clearing skies today will allow for moderating high temperatures to 10C (50F). Clear skies are expected overnight for the entire area, along with patchy fog. The forecast low will be either side of 0C (32F) in metro Montreal. Friday and early Saturday will be breezy and very mild, with high temperatures approaching the low teens. The record high for both Friday and Saturday in Montreal is 16.7C (62F) set back in 1953. We may have an outside shot at that Saturday, depending on how much sunshine we receive. This is where the good weather news comes to an end.

Install your snow tires NOW
Strengthening low pressure is expected to move from North Dakota into the western Great Lakes by Friday. This storm will provide the first blizzard of the season for portions of the western Great Lakes, upper Midwest and western Ontario. Strong winds will combine with 20cm (8 inches) of snow, to provide very poor travel weather along the Trans Canada Highway either side of Thunder Bay, Ontario by Friday morning. As this storm pulls east, a strong cold front will sweep across southern Quebec late Saturday. Temperatures will plummet from near record highs Saturday, as the coldest air of the season arrives. Daytime temperatures on Sunday in Montreal will actually fall most of the day. Overnight lows by Monday morning may be as cold as -5C (23F), with daytime highs on both Monday and Tuesday near 1C (33F). There is also a good chance rain will develop late Saturday and mix with snow by Sunday evening into Monday. Accumulations are difficult to pinpoint at this time, but expect slippery driving conditions early next week. Looking ahead into the middle and late portion of next week, the weather will remain cold in southern Quebec, with another chance of rain and snow by Thursday.