Powerful Nor'Easter to impact St. Lawrence Valley

The forecast arrival time of the snow from late Monday into Tuesday. (AccuWeather.com)

A very strong winter storm is poised to bring heavy snow and strong winds to Montreal and most of southern Quebec, from midday Tuesday through Wednesday.

Winter storm warnings are now in effect for southern Quebec, New Brunswick and all of New England. Blizzard warnings are posted for coastal regions from New Jersey to Maine. Low pressure is forecast to develop east of Cape Hatteras tonight and move northeast towards Cape Cod. The rapidly-deepening storm is forecast to become a classic Nor'Easter, fueled by Atlantic moisture and backed by the record-cold air that lies inland over our region. Snow is forecast to spread from south to north on Tuesday, reaching Montreal after the noon hour. The snow will become heavy, driven by increasing northeast winds of 70 to 100km/h in the St. Lawrence Valley.

Widespread blowing snow will make travel very difficult across the entire northeast and Quebec. Visibility will frequently be reduced to near zero. Portions of eastern Ontario will also have heavy snow and blowing snow. Storm totals are expected to be in the 15 to 30cm range in Montreal, 30 to 45cm in the Townships and New England, and 10 to 15cm in eastern Ontario. Temperatures will remain cold throughout the storm, with no risk at all of mixing. As with all coastal storms, these numbers are based on the current forecast track. Any deviation in that track can increase or decrease snow amounts significantly. Updates will be posted frequently via twitter @valleyweather2 and @TheSuburbanNews.