A snowy and icy end to the decade for Montreal

It took until New Year's Eve for the ground to turn white in Montreal. Over 15cm of snow fell across southern Quebec on Tuesday, accompanied by ice pellets, freezing rain and 50km/h winds. (ValleyWeather Photo)

Montreal received over 15cm of snow late Monday into early Tuesday as a winter storm moved across the Great Lakes and into Quebec. The same storm delivered over 22 hours of freezing rain to Ottawa and portions of eastern Ontario. Montreal also received about 7mm of freezing rain, with more towards Vaudreuil and Valleyfield. The freezing rain resulted in numerous accidents and scattered power outages. Numerous flights were cancelled at Trudeau Airport. Joliette was the provincial winner with this storm, measuring 28cm of  fresh snow.

Winds gusted over 100km/h as the low pressure moved across southern Ontario. While Montreal remained on the cold side of the system, warm air surged into southern Ontario. Toronto reached a record breaking high of 10.2C (50F) on Monday, surpassing the previous high of  7.2C (45F) established in 1965.

Light snow continues to fall across southern Quebec this New Year's Eve, along with very mild temperatures. Another 2 to 5cm is possible overnight. Mild air will persist throughout this week and into the upcoming weekend. Another round of mixed precipitation is likely by Friday across southern Quebec. Cold air will finally return by the end of the weekend and into next week, with more opportunities for accumulating snow.

Have a safe and happy new year, see you in the new decade and thanks for reading!