Arctic air - measurable snow on the way for Montreal

There is more snow this morning in Texas than in Montreal. Heavy wet snow fell in places across the deep south Thursday night, including at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas, the home of Texas A&M. College Station is located about 150km northwest of Houston, where light snow also fell. (Photo via Twitter @AggieFootball)

There is more snow in south Texas this morning than in southern Quebec. That being said, arctic cold and snow are on the immediate horizon for Montreal. Friday morning, the first cold front stretches from the Gulf of Mexico to Atlantic Canada. Along it snow is falling, in places where is should not be. Winter storm warnings stretch from the Mexican border into North Carolina. Further north, the cold air is sweeping across the wide open and considerably warmer Great Lakes. The result is heavy lake effect snows in several regions. Some of the narrow lake bands are moving northeast along the St. Lawrence Valley, affecting the 401 corridor from Kingston to Cornwall. A few of the snow showers have even made it into southern Quebec, with a fluffy centimetre or two falling last night on L'Ile Perrot. More snow showers are possible later today in Montreal.

On Saturday, low pressure will move up the east coast, producing a swath of 10 to 15cm snowfall from interior New England towards the Gaspe Peninsula. At the same time, a clipper system will also approach Montreal from the west, with a light snowfall Saturday night, followed by much colder air. Next week will future several opportunities for light snowfall, along with very cold temperatures. Daytime highs on Sunday will be around -2C (29F). By Tuesday through Friday, the high will only be around -10C (14F) in Montreal. Several systems will also produce light snow next week. The timing and amounts will need to be fined tuned, but a good 10 to 15cm of snow could be on the ground by next Friday. Winter has arrived!