Foggy end to 2022 in Montreal - Happy New Year

Dense fog made travel tricky across southern Quebec and Ontario on New Year's Eve. Widespread fog advisories are in effect for the entire St. Lawrence Valley tonight. Travel with care, especially off island. (Valley Weather Photo)

Happy New Year! Thank you for reading, I appreciate your time, 2023 will be my 44th year, talking and writing about the weather.

We end the year on a foggy note across southern Quebec. The fog has been thick most of the day, with Trudeau Airport reporting less than 1 kilometre visibility for 10 consecutive hours. The visibility has come up a bit at the airport over the last two hours, but the fog remains thick off island and near any body of water. A fog advisory remains in effect for most of southern Quebec, extending into eastern Ontario.

A slow moving cold front has produced close to 10mm of rain today here on Ile Perrot. Rain, fog and drizzle will persist into the overnight hours and early New Year's Day, before cooler and drier weather arrives. The front will eventually slide south of the region on Sunday.

The high in Montreal today was a very warm 7C (45F), temperatures will slowly fall over the next 24 hours down to -1C (30F) by Monday morning. More active weather is on the way next week, along with a return of much colder air by Thursday. More on that next year. Have a safe New Year's Eve.

Foggy, damp December 31st in Montreal and southern Quebec

It is a very foggy, damp morning on Ile Perrot this December 31st, with the temperature well above freezing at 6C. A fog advisory is in effect for Montreal, with visibility under 1km in many locations. (Valley Weather Photo)

Happy New Year!

Widespread fog advisories are in effect for a large portion of southern Quebec and Ontario, including metro Montreal Saturday morning. Visibility in many instances is well under 1km, down to just a few metres at times. Drive with great care if you have any travel plans today. Saturday will be very mild as we say goodbye to 2022. Temperatures overnight remained well above freezing, currently at a record setting maximum low of 5.9C (42F) here on Ile Perrot. The normal low is -14C (14F). The daily high will fall short of the record today, which is 12.2C set in 1965.

Friday was warm and wet, not your typical late December day in Montreal. Dozens of record highs were set across southern Quebec, Ontario and New England. In Montreal a 133 year old temperature record from McGill University fell as the mercury soared to 8.6C (48F) surpassing the 1889 record of 7.8C (46F). The overnight low tied the record from 1884 at 3.9C (39F). Ottawa also set a new record high at 9.8C (49F) beating the old daily high of 6C (43F) set in 1990. Warm air moved all the way north into the lower Laurentians, with Mont Tremblant reaching 7.4C on Friday, with 27mm of rain. Not very good for the ski hills!

The warm weather will persist Saturday as we reach 8C (47F) before the rain sets in along a cold front late today. The slow moving front will cross the St. Lawrence Valley this evening, ushering in slightly colder air for New Years Day. Temperatures will fall slowly today towards the freezing point on Sunday. Rainfall will amount to 10-15mm across the region today into tonight. The snowpack has dwindled down to just a few centimetres in Montreal.

The slightly cooler air Sunday will be short-lived, as another surge of very warm air and rain arrives by Tuesday. On the backside of the next system, much colder, more normal temperatures for January will arrive. It will not be frigid, but it should be cold enough for the rain to change to snow Wednesday night into Thursday morning.

Drive safe and enjoy your New Years Eve.

Record warmth and rain across southern Ontario and Quebec to end the year

The current thaw is making a mess of area roadways. There are plenty of large potholes hidden by deep puddles in some cases. The temperature roller coaster we have been on so far this winter is hard on everything from roads, to homes, cars, animals and even us!

In stark contrast to last Friday in Montreal, today was warm and wet, with record high temperatures established in many locations across Ontario, Quebec, New York and New England. Montreal reached 7.2C (45F) breaking the record at Trudeau Airport of 6.1C (43F) set in 1965. The record from McGill was 7.8C set all the way back in 1889. I managed 9.4C (49F) here on Ile Perrot. Toronto managed 13C (55F) smashing the 1965 record of 7.2C (45F). On Thursday, just one day after 15cm of snow, Ottawa reached 7.5C, breaking the 2018 record of 6.6C.

To our south, Massena and Cornwall reached 11C (52F) surpassing the record of 49F set in 1990. Burlington, Vermont smashed there daily high temperature record, reaching 14C (58F). The old benchmark was 11C (51F) set in 1990. As the day ends, a more complete list of records will show just how warm this airmass is. Keep in mind that the upcoming couple of weeks are typically the coldest of the year in Montreal.

The roller coaster ride is the result of strong low pressure passing well northwest of our region. A surge of warm air has moved north from the southern US. Temperatures will remain very mild overnight, with rain developing as a cold front moves into the region. The low is expected to remain fairly steady around 7C, which would set a record for the warmest overnight low for the date. As is stands, you have to go back to 1884 in Montreal for the previous max low record of 3.9C, so this is quite the event. 

Along with the warm air has been a rapid melting of the snowpack. Montreal had received 63cm of snow this month, most over the last two weeks. As of last evening, 16cm remained on the ground at Trudeau Airport. A large amount has vanished in the warm south winds over the last 36 hours, and most should be gone in Montreal by New Years Day.

In terms of practical weather, expect light rain and fog Friday night into New Years Eve. As the slightly colder air arrives late Saturday night and Sunday, a few flurries are possible. Expect more very warm air on Tuesday and Wednesday, accompanied by rain. Colder weather is expected to return on or about January 6.

The normal high/low for Montreal for late December is -5C/-14C.

Surge of warm air expected in Montreal to end 2022

Roads across southwestern Quebec were terrible during Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, with strong winds creating slick travel and reduced visibility. Several roads were closed across the region. (Service de sécurité de Sainte-Barbe) 

After the fierce storm that impacted so many through Christmas, we are in for a very warm end to 2022. In what has become so common in Montreal winters of late, temperatures will swing back above freezing for an extended period beginning Thursday. Temperatures through at least January 6 are expected to be well-above normal and above freezing. We may see daytime highs as warm as 10C (50F) during the thaw and even overnight lows remaining above freezing. The warm air will affect a large portion of Quebec and Ontario. This will allow all the ice and snow of the last week to melt away. There is rain forecast as well for New Years Eve and day, some flooding is likely. Authorities are reminding everyone to stay off and away from any body of water in southern Quebec. The ice will become extremely unstable, along with an increase in water flow during the upcoming thaw.

It certainly was a very wintry Christmas week across Quebec and Ontario, after an historic snowstorm moved slowly across the region. Montreal was on the "gentler" side of the storm, with plenty of rain preceded and followed by heavy snow, wind and cold. In the city, around 25cm of fresh snow has fallen over the last week. This brings the seasonal total to 72cm (28.3 inches). Now compare that to hard-hit Buffalo, New York, that has measured over 100 inches (254cm) of snow this winter to date. Much more snow fell north of Montreal, with some locations measuring over 50cm.

The intense winter storm cut power to nearly 700,000 Hydro-Québec customers over the busy holiday period. Nearly 18,000 still remain without heat and light Wednesday morning. Many of the outages, like the one shown above, impact only a few clients and have been difficult to reach for the utility. (Hydro-Québec Photo) 

In Buffalo, a state of emergency remains in place as authorities clear up the abandoned cars, open roads and sadly count the dead. The death toll in Erie and Niagara Counties in Western New York stands at 35, 27 in Buffalo alone. This surpasses the terrible Blizzard of 1977 that resulted in 29 fatalities across the region. At least one death was reported in Ontario.

Back to Quebec, the power remains out to over 18,000 Hydro-Quebec customers Wednesday morning. Some have been in the dark and cold since late Friday. The utility is down to the difficult portion of the recovery now, with smaller outages affecting only few customers at a time. Thousands of line workers have been on the job 24-7 since the storm began.

Powerful winds gusted between 90-130km/h in the province, with 16 consecutive hours of blowing snow recorded at Trudeau Airport. Six more hours of visibility under 1km were reported at the airport in Dorval on Christmas Eve. Conditions were much worse off-island. The blizzard conditions impacted a large area of Ontario and Quebec, with hundreds of kilometers of highways closed during the busy travel period across both provinces.

The storm also produced record high storm surges along several of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River from Quebec City towards the lower north shore. This included 7.15 metres in Old Quebec City. The tidal surge produced significant flooding and damage in many locations.

The wind also caused significant damage to trees, power lines and even some structures.

The good news is that mild weather is expected across the entire area impacted by the storm, allowing for recovery efforts to continue, likely at a faster pace.

Powerful winter storm to ease grip on province Sunday

 Hydro crews continue to work throughout the holiday in difficult conditions. While power has been restored to many, over 136,000 customers remain in the dark and cold Christmas morning. The utility is aiming for Tuesday to have most power restored. The hardest hit area remains the Quebec City region, with over 40,000 in the dark. Quebec and parts of the lower Saint Lawrence were hit with winds in excess of 120km/h. (Hydro-Quebec Photo)

Merry Christmas! Conditions are improving today, but travel with great care as many roads remain quite challenging.

The powerful winter storm that has hammered parts of Quebec, Ontario and New York since late Thursday, will begin to relax its grip for some today. A late issued blowing snow advisory is in effect for southern Quebec Sunday, with difficult travel conditions across many off-island locations. A few remaining snow squalls may make their way into southern Quebec today with perhaps a centimeter or two, but conditions should begin to improve.

The storm is now located east of James Bay moving slowly northeast while gradually weakening. In its wake, we still have over 136,000 Quebecers in the dark and cold Christmas morning, some without power for over 36 hours and counting. Hydro-Quebec crews continue to battle strong winds and drifting snow.

Sunday morning, winds were still gusting close to 70km/h at Trudeau Airport, with a peak gust of 88km/h reported on Saturday, down from Friday's 93km/h. Winds will continue to ease on Sunday as the storm move northeast away from the region. The wind should drop into the 30-50km/h range overnight and lessen even more on Boxing Day Monday.

On Saturday, several major accidents closed highways, especially in the west and southwest corner of the province. Conditions, while fairly good on the island of Montreal, remain challenging in several portions of the province, especially the southwest corner. Some drifts have been reported 5 and 6 feet high across highways, with Highway 201 from Saint-Clet to Rigaud remaining closed Sunday morning.

Driving to Toronto is still not an option Christmas Day, as highway 401 remains closed west of  Maitland, Ontario to almost Belleville. Snow squalls continue to impact the 401 corridor, but blizzard warnings have finally ended for Brockville and Kingston.

First responders in Buffalo, New York (shown above) and across the entire region have worked in terrible weather conditions over the last 48 hours. In Buffalo, numerous units became stuck or frozen during the historic storm. (Buffalo Fire Department Photo)

Buffalo, New York was hit hard by lake effect snow, with over two feet falling since Friday, driven by hurricane-force winds. Travel was impossible in the city, with zero visibility reported for hours on end. Numerous drivers remained trapped in their vehicles. The same was true east of Georgian Bay and Lake Huron in Ontario, where some even slept in a local WalMart, unable to safely reach their destinations. Conditions were so bad that even large plows and fire trucks became stuck in the drifting snow.

Temperature remain chilly in Montreal Christmas Day, but will warm as we head through the upcoming week. Rain and very mild temperatures are forecast by New Years Eve.

Winter storm cuts power to over 350,000 Quebec homes

Travel was brutal on Friday across Ontario and Quebec, with hundreds of accidents and numerous road closures. The accident above involved hundreds of vehicles on Highway 402 near London, Ontario. Travel remains very difficult Saturday morning, and not recommended any major highway outside the urban corridors. (OPP Photo)

Travel remains very difficult Saturday morning with widespread blowing snow on open highways. In Quebec, visibility is poor off-island on all highways. The 400 series of highways in Ontario is not recommended, especially the 401 corridor which is under a blizzard warning, and closed west of Cornwall.

The massive winter storm impacting a huge part of eastern North America, continues to rage on this Christmas Eve morning. The powerhouse storm is located east of James Bay early Saturday morning. Very strong surface winds and cold air continue to flow around the mature cyclone.

In Montreal, Friday was a wild weather day to say the least. Strong winds and heavy snow early started the power outages and closed all schools. Winds gusted to over 100km/h in the Quebec City region and heavy wet snow brought down trees on power lines north of the city. As outages climbed, so did the wind speeds in the Montreal region. As of 6am Saturday morning, 361,000 Hydro-Quebec clients are in the dark, with no heat and minus teens in most locations. Hydro-Quebec has had over 1000 employees working throughout the night, but the current weather conditions are slowing the repair work.

Across Ontario, Quebec and the US, over 1 million residents are without power. The strong winds also took down some trees and one light standard across Highway 40 in Montreal during the evening commute.

In Montreal on Friday, the snow changed to heavy rain, with 17mm falling at Trudeau. Around 3pm, a very strong arctic boundary swept the Montreal region, with 90km/h winds and rapidly dropping temperatures. The temperature at my home on Ile Perrot fell from 6C (43F) to 1C (33F) in one minute, with rain changing to snow and even some thunder and lightning for good measure. The total snowfall from both the morning and late evening periods has totaled closed to 20cm for Montreal.

The snow continued overnight, driven by frequent 80km/h wind gusts. Temperatures continue to fall down to the current reading of -10C (14F). The lowest barometric pressure associated with the storm was 974mb at my home, equivalent to that of a category 1 hurricane.

Looking ahead, snow and blowing snow will continue into the afternoon with another couple of centimeters possible in southwestern Quebec. This is primarily from the fierce lake effect snow band off Lake Ontario. Conditions should begin to slowly improve Saturday evening and Sunday, but it will remain breezy and cold with winds in the 40-60km/h range right through Christmas Day and a high of -5C (23F).

Flash freeze expected for Montreal today

I was surprised this morning that Montreal did not change over to rain a little faster. Wet snow is still falling, with up to 10cm of snow so far on Ile Perrot and the island of Montreal. Precipitation should change to rain shortly and back to snow late today. Warm air will briefly surge into the region this morning, however a  flash freeze is expected late this afternoon. Roads will become very icy tonight. (Valley Weather Photo)

The snowfall warning currently in effect for Montreal will likely be replaced by a flash freeze warning shortly. Widespread weather warnings remain in place virtually across the entire geographical region Friday morning in every direction you look.

A strong winter storm is producing widespread travel delays across a wide swath of eastern North America today. Consider delaying any driving to Ontario, as blizzard conditions are forecast to develop along the 401 corridor by early afternoon. 

We have a very active day of weather ahead, with a mix of rain and snow, strong winds and a flash freeze during the evening commute. Schools are closed today across the region. Power outages are beginning to climb as winds increase. Currently 24,000 are without power in Quebec, with close to 80,000 across New England and New York. Several NHL teams have cancelled games today as well as the AHL Laval Rocket.

Strong low pressure is strengthening rapidly this morning as it moves from Indiana to just northwest of Ottawa by Saturday morning. The storm is in the process of pushing a warm front across southern Quebec. Close to 10cm of wet snow has fallen overnight in Montreal, with precipitation in the process of changing over to rain. Temperatures are near the freezing point Friday morning, and will rise to a high of 6C (43F) in the city. Rain will persist most of the day, with up to 15mm possible, while north of the city, precipitation remains as snow, with significant amounts forecast.

By late this afternoon a strong cold front will push across eastern Ontario into southwestern Quebec. The front will be accompanied by a burst of heavy snow and very strong winds, gusting up to 100km/h locally. Those winds will remain with us overnight as temperatures fall quickly below freezing to around -6C (19F) and remain steady Saturday.

In addition to the initial burst of snow, exceptionally strong winds will blow lake effect snow off  Lake Ontario and down the St. Lawrence Valley. Expect bursts of heavy snow from Kingston, Ontario all the way to Ile Perrot into Saturday. An additional 10cm of snow is possible in parts of Montreal, accompanied by winds of 80km/h and considerable blowing snow. Visibility will be greatly reduced tonight and Saturday along Highway 20 west into Ontario and Highway 401 through to Belleville. Blizzard conditions are possible from Cornwall to Kingston.

Travel into the Townships will be affected as well, with rapidly falling temperatures this evening.

This story will be updated frequently through Saturday. Stay safe everyone...SB

Widespread travel delays - power outages expected in Quebec from winter storm

A messy storm will deliver heavy snow, freezing rain and rain to Quebec. Strong winds and a flash freeze are expected Friday afternoon in Montreal.

A major storm will deliver a mix of snow, freezing rain and rain to southern Quebec. Strong winds will also develop and persist into Saturday.

A powerful winter storm is taking shape over the US plains this morning. The system is forecast to deepen rapidly as it crosses the Great Lakes into Ontario and eventually western Quebec. A wide variety of severe weather is forecast for a large portion of eastern North America.

The storm is being driven by an Arctic front that brought snow to Vancouver and dropped temperatures over 20 degrees in less than an hour in many locations it moved through. 

Widespread winter storm warnings and special weather statements are in effect for virtually all of Ontario and Quebec. This is a very complex storm, with many different components that will greatly impact pre-Christmas travel across a wide area.

A flash freeze will rapidly drop temperatures back below freezing in Montreal between 4 and 5pm on Friday. Temperatures will fall from 6C (43F) down to -2C (29F) in less than an hour as the arctic front plows through the area. Expect icy roads and poor visibility in heavy snow and squalls. (AccuWeather.com)

In Quebec, snow will begin this evening and become heavy at times overnight. In Montreal a few centimetres will fall before temperatures rise above freezing by daybreak. On Friday in Montreal and along the St. Lawrence Seaway, heavy rain will fall, with 15-25mm possible. The rain will change back to snow late in the day and a powerful cold front sweeps across the region. The front will arrive in Montreal by 4pm, with temperatures falling below freezing within an hour. The snow may be heavy at times, accompanied by winds up to 90km/h.

North of Montreal, the main precipitation type will be snow, with 30-60cm possible. Strong winds will produce near-blizzard conditions. Travel is not recommended Friday into Saturday morning.

Squalls and colder weather will prevail in the wake of the storm on Saturday. Conditions should improve Sunday.

Plan for very difficult road conditions across all regions, as well as the potential for widespread power outages due to wind and heavy wet snow. Hydro-Quebec is already advising clients of this potential.

This post will be updated frequently as the storm develops...SB

Powerful winter storm forecast for portions of Ontario and Quebec

Last weeks snow should have guaranteed us a white Christmas, but this is Montreal in 2022, and rain and mild temperatures are forecast for Friday. A strong cold front will produce high winds and rain changing to snow Friday afternoon. Travel will be greatly impacted across southern Ontario and Quebec as temperatures plunge back below freezing. (Valley Weather Photo)

Winter officially arrives at 4:47 pm Wednesday, and to welcome it, we have an historic storm taking shape across the central US, powered by the coldest air in decades plunging south from western Canada. How cold? On Tuesday, the mercury dropped to -52C at Rabbit Kettle in the Northwest Territories. This gives you an idea of the depth of the cold air. That air, combined with a fetch of warm moist air from the southeastern US, will generate a powerful low pressure area, expected to "bomb out" as it moves across the lower Great Lakes into southern Ontario. Bombing out is when a low pressure area drops 24mb of central pressure in 24 hours or less. This storm is forecast to drop to as low as 960mb over Ontario.

A strong winter storm will develop over Kansas and move into Ontario on Friday. The system has the potential to be historic with blizzard conditions, strong winds and a flash freeze forecast for many areas. (AccuWeather.com)

In terms of practical weather, a wide variety of impacts are expected across southern Quebec and the metro Montreal region. As the storm moves from Kansas to Ontario, a warm front will lift across southern Quebec on Thursday evening. A mix of snow, rain and perhaps some freezing rain will occur, before the temperature rises above freezing into Friday morning. The warm air will push the high to 6C (43F) in Montreal. By late Friday, a powerful cold front associated with the storm, will sweep across the region, plunging temperatures in a very short period well below freezing. A flash freeze is expected, with rain changing back to snow.

The front will also generate very strong to damaging winds, gusting up to 100km/h in Montreal. The wind will cause power outages and blow around whatever snow is falling. Travel will be extremely difficult Friday afternoon into Saturday across the entire region, including all highways to Ontario, New York and Vermont. Strong winds and snow squalls will continue into Saturday, combined with much colder temperatures and frigid windchill values. The highs Saturday will remain steady in the minus single digits.

Travel will be greatly impacted by this strong winter storm, and power outages are likely in Quebec. Plan ahead and listed to the latest forecast and for any weather warnings.

I will post frequent updates over the next few days.

After the storm, quiet weather for Montreal until Thursday

The heavy wet snow weighed down many branches forcing them to rest on power lines. Scattered power outages were reported in southwestern Quebec, with widespread outages across New England and New York. As of Sunday morning, a little over 3200 clients remain without power in the province. Meanwhile in Maine and New Hampshire, close to 70,000 remain without electricity. (Valley Weather Photo)

The snow has finally stopped across southwestern Quebec after a good 36 hours. Storm totals were quite impressive in the St. Lawrence Valley, with 32cm in Montreal and 35cm in Cornwall. Ottawa was the winner, with 38cm. The snow created the usual problems on area highways, with numerous accidents reported. Scattered power outages were reported in Quebec and Ontario, with ten of thousands in the dark from New York to Maine due to the weight of the heavy wet snow.

Temperatures remain very mild Sunday morning, at -1C (30F) in Montreal. Our range has been very small over the last several days, either side of 0C. The weather will be calm on Sunday, with steady temperatures and light winds. High pressure will move into southern Quebec this week, with partly cloudy skies, isolated flurries and fairly mild temperatures for December.

Plows across southern Quebec were busy Friday and Saturday, as the first snowstorm of the season impacted the region. Over 30cm of snow fell in Montreal and the southwestern suburbs. (JKO Photo)

By Thursday, a strong storm system will be developing across the central US in response to a surge of arctic air moving southward. This storm has the potential to be rather large and strong, with far reaching effects across the Great Lakes and east coast during a busy travel period. As this time it looks like a mix of snow and rain for Montreal, with very windy conditions and a rapid freeze on the back side of the storm Friday night into Christmas Eve. Temperatures will swing from well above freezing Friday to well below by early Saturday morning. There are many details to work out, so stay tuned, especially if you have travel plans late this week.

Winter storm update for Montreal

The snow is accumulating quickly on Ile Perrot early Friday morning. Snowfall warnings remain in effect for Montreal, with 10-20cm expected for the city through Saturday afternoon, and up to 30cm southwest of Montreal towards the US border. (Valley Weather Photo)

Snowfall warnings remain in effect along the St. Lawrence Valley in Ontario and Quebec as well as portions of New York and New England. Strengthening low pressure early Friday morning is lifting across southern New Jersey moving northeast towards Cape Cod. Moisture will stream into southern Quebec over the next 24 hours.

Snow is slowly moving into the Montreal region from southwest to northeast Friday morning. The snow should be light most of the day, with pockets of moderate snow, especially southwest of the city. Temperatures remain rather mild, just marginally cold enough for snow. Here on Ile Perrot, the temperature dropped from 2C (36F) to 0C (32F) once the snow started around 6am.

Road conditions will be highly variable across the region, depending on elevation. Expect snow covered, icy roads and reduced visibility in the heaviest snow bands. Exercise caution today, or postpone your trip if possible. Winds are rather gusty across the region, in the 30 to 50km/h range and will remain that way throughout the day.

In terms of accumulations, storm totals through Saturday will be in the 10-20cm range for the Island of Montreal, with 20-30cm south of the St. Lawrence River towards the US border. North of Montreal across the lower Laurentians and in the Quebec City region, 10-20cm is possible. Flurries will persist into Sunday. Temperatures will remain mild throughout the weekend, around the freezing point for highs and just below for lows. Colder air arrives next week, with more snow possible in the days leading up to Christmas.

Snowstorm to impact Montreal and southern Quebec

The first major winter storm of the season will spread heavy wet snow across southern Quebec on Friday. Up to 20cm is possible for metro Montreal. Travel will be difficult, and power outages are possible due to the weight of the snow.

Snowfall warning in effect for metro Montreal.

Numerous weather warnings have been issued across southern Ontario and Quebec, New York and New England for heavy wet snow and strong winds. Low pressure over the central United States has been producing widespread heavy snow and severe weather from the west coast to the deep south and everywhere in between. The large, complex storm system is moving into the Great Lakes on Thursday, with a second storm forecast to develop near North Carolina. The second storm will become the major weather maker for our region.

Thursday will be the calm before the storm, with increasing clouds and mild temperatures. Highs will be near 4C (39F). Overnight temperatures will be mild as well, near 0C (32F). Friday will be just cold enough for snow, remaining near the freezing point. 

A warm front will lift across the region early in the morning, followed by deep moisture moving north along the Atlantic coast with the secondary storm. That storm will lift northeast into New Brunswick. The snow should move into Montreal by 7am Friday morning and become heavy at times through the noon hour. Lighter snow will persist into Saturday morning. The heaviest accumulations will be over the higher elevations of southern Quebec, where totals could surpass 30cm. Along the St. Lawrence Valley, up to 20cm is possible, accompanied by gusty northeast winds up to 50km/h. Visibility will be greatly reduced and road conditions will deteriorate quickly on Friday. The weight of the snow may cause isolated power outages.

Conditions should improve Saturday, but flurries will persist into Sunday. The week leading up to Christmas Day will be much colder in Montreal, with addiotnal chances for snowfall. Details to follow once we get through the current storm. Drive safely and work from home if you can Friday.

The current storm heading towards Montreal, has been producing blizzard conditions from western Canada into the Great Lakes. The same storm also generated severe thunderstorms, with dozens of tornadoes reported across the deep southern US and Gulf Coast. The damage above was from a strong tornado that swept across metro New Orleans late Wednesday afternoon. Sadly 3 fatalities have been reported so far from the storms. (New Orleans Fire Department)

Winter storm set to impact Ontario and Quebec

The storm on Sunday missed the Montreal region. However you did have to travel too far west along Highway 40/417 to find snow. Up to 12cm fell in the Ottawa region, making roads very difficult and resulting in numerous accidents including the one above on Highway 417 east of downtown Ottawa. (Ottawa Fire Services)

The first widespread winter storm is on the way for southern Ontario and Quebec as we head towards the end of the work week. It is however a very challenging forecast with several scenarios that could leave some locations with very little snow.

Over the weekend, low pressure skirted across Ontario and into New York, largely bypassing southern Quebec, with the exception of the Ottawa Valley, and the extreme southwestern corner of the province along the Ontario border. Only a trace of snow was reported at Trudeau Airport, with up to 1cm from Ile Perrot to Valleyfield, 5-10cm around Cornwall and 12cm in Ottawa.

That system is over the Gulf of St. Lawrence this morning, retrograding into Maine, and expected to deliver heavy snow and strong winds to eastern portions of the province.

The upcoming winter storm will result in a mix of snow and rain across a large portion of eastern North America. Current thinking is that 15cm will fall in Montreal. That amount will likely be adjusted based on the final track of the storm. (AccuWeather.com map)

Montreal will remain in between that storm and the advancing warm front associated with our next weather system, currently over the central plains. The week will be partly cloudy and seasonably cool for mid-December. By late Thursday, the aforementioned warm front will be lifting into New England, with a period of snow expected late Thursday into Friday morning for Montreal. On Friday, the forecast becomes quite complicated, with the computer models all over the place on the evolution of low pressure developing along the eastern seaboard and moving northeast.

The eventual track and strength of this storm will determine the type and intensity of the precipitation. At this time, it looks like Montreal will marginally cold enough for snow, with perhaps more than 15cm falling between Friday and Saturday. There are still many details to work out, but if you have any travel plans during this busy holiday season, expect some difficult weather this weekend.

Weather pattern trying to change in Montreal

While the weather has been fairly snow free here in Montreal, other parts of the country have not been so lucky. The storm above impacted southern Ontario in late November, missing southern Quebec. Another system Sunday, will give more snow to the same region, blanketing the 401 corridor from Cornwall to Kingston and missing Montreal. (Photo OPP)

It has certainly been a very mild fall in Montreal and across most of eastern Canada in 2022, with temperatures running well above the long-term normal. The same cannot be said for the western portion of the country, where snowstorms and intrusions of arctic air have been common. This is a typical La Nina setup that we have become all too familiar with over the last three winters here in Montreal. If you are not a fan of cold and snow, then you would love this scenario.

To date Montreal has received a paltry 0.2cm of snow in December. The normal for the month is 48.9cm. In November, 14.6cm fell at Trudeau Airport in Dorval, on the strength of one storm. The normal for November is 19cm. It was a wet month, just way too warm for snow, with 104mm of rain falling. No period of prolonged cold has been able to become established across our region.

Instead of snow and cold, Montreal has had a series of weather systems this fall that have produced windy, wet and mild weather. The wind has brought down trees and disrupted power over the last two weekends.

As we look ahead to the rest of December, we see a pattern change desperately trying to evolve. Temperatures remained well below freezing on Saturday, after another December stretch of above freezing temperatures. So far this month,  only two days have featured below freezing highs. Saturday was the coldest day of the month, with a high of -4C (25F) and gusty northeast winds , with a biting windchill in the minus teens.

On Sunday, yet another low pressure system will miss Montreal, giving us perhaps a few flurries, with 5 to10cm of snow falling just southwest of the city from the Ontario border towards Kingston and south into upstate New York. Keep this in mind if you are traveling south or west.

The pattern change I mentioned will develop this week, with cold air trying to move into our region and remain in place through the week. A very complicated weather pattern is setting up for the end of the work week and into next weekend. Several areas of low pressure are expected to develop over the western portion of the US, moving towards the Great Lakes and eastern seaboard. This could lead to an significant snowfall Saturday, but there are too many variables yet to work out. It could be another miss. One thig seems a little more certain, and that is temperatures will feel more like December like throughout the holiday period. At least that is what it looks like today. Stay tuned!

Another round of wind and rain for Montreal

A quick shot of snow fell early Thursday morning behind a strong cold front. The snow quickly iced roads leading to several accidents southwest of Montreal. Gusty west and southwest winds of 50-90km/h kept Hydro-Quebec crews busy. Another wind event is expected late Saturday. Wind warnings have been issued for Montreal. (Valley Weather Photo)

Wind warning posted for southern Quebec and southern Ontario

Lather, rinse, repeat. In what has become an all-too familiar pattern, we are in for more wet weather and strong winds Saturday, followed by another brief shot of cold air and flurries. This will be the third such system, with a fourth on tap for Tuesday before the pattern alters somewhat. Snow has been hard to find in southern Quebec this fall.

The storms have been punishing the Prairies over the course of the last month, with periodic snowstorms followed by brutal arctic air. Case in point this morning, as I write this, Winnipeg is -22C (-8F) while Montreal is at 5C. Over the last two morning, dozens of record lows have been set from Alberta to Manitoba.

Each storm system for the last two weeks has been travelling well north and west of Montreal, placing us solidly in the warm sector. That has been followed by potent cold fronts, with gusty winds and quickly dropping temperatures.

The current storm will do the same, lifting across the Great Lakes and into central Quebec. The cold front arrives late Saturday, preceded by a period of rain. Strong southwest winds will channel down Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence Valley, reaching speeds of 60-90km/h by Saturday afternoon and evening. Widespread wind warnings are in effect from Windsor, Ontario to Montreal.

The wind will ease overnight but remain gusty in the 30-50km/h range into Sunday. Temperatures will be very mild Saturday, 8C (48F) in Montreal, falling to -6C (21F) overnight and remaining below freezing at -2C (30F) Sunday. A few flurries are possible overnight. We will repeat the same weather cycle on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, before colder air and perhaps a more significant snow event arrive next weekend.

The cold front last Wednesday, produced wind gusts up to 90km/h across southern Quebec. The wind caused some minor tree and structural damage as well power outages to more than 50,000 Hydro-Quebec customers. In addition to the wind, snow squalls early Thursday morning, put down a quick centimetre or two of snow in several locations including here on Ile Perrot. The snow quickly iced up roads leading to a rash of accidents, especially off-island to the west of Montreal.