Thursday, April 06, 2017

Another round of heavy rain for southern Quebec and Ontario

A strong storm system will produce more heavy rain across southern Quebec over the next 24 to 36 hours. (AccuWeather)
Strengthening low pressure will slowly move from the Ohio Valley into New York State today. This storm will be responsible for a wide variety of severe weather, from the southern US northward into the Great Lakes, as well as Ontario and Quebec. Environment Canada has posted a heavy rainfall warning for southern Quebec, as well as most of southern and eastern Ontario. Flood watches are in effect across New York and New England. Southern Quebec and eastern Ontario can expect heavy rain once again, starting by the noon hour today and continuing into the overnight hours. As colder air wraps around the back end of the storm, the rain will change to snow west of Ottawa and across central Ontario tonight. In Montreal, we are expecting 25 to 40mm of rain. This amount is in addition to the 35mm the city received on Tuesday. Minor flooding was reported already, with the new rain adding to the sharp rises on rivers and streams. Temperatures will remain chilly, in the 3 to 5C (38 to 41F) range through Saturday. Winds will become rather strong and gusty in the St. Lawrence Valley, up to 60km/h.

The expected track of this low pressure would have produced a major snowstorm last month, but enough warm air is in place to guarantee rain for Montreal. Further north, heavy wet snow is expected. The same storm system produced widespread severe weather across Indiana and Georgia, stretching into the Carolina's Wednesday and today. Multiple tornadoes produced damage and injuries. More strong thunderstorms are expected today.

Behind the storm, a surge of warm air will arrive by Monday in Quebec and Ontario. Temperatures are expected to rise into the upper teens in Montreal.

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