More rain and freezing rain forecast for southern Quebec

More rounds of freezing rain and rain are forecast for the hard-hit portions of central Ontario. Many residents remain without power, and schools have been closed since Monday. (Hydro One Photo)

A warm front will lift into the St. Lawrence Valley late Wednesday, as low pressure moves into the central Great Lakes. That front will become the focus for mixed precipitation across southern Quebec, followed by a windy and wet cold front on Thursday.

Widespread weather warnings are in effect across portions of Ontario and Quebec and adjacent New York as another storm system takes aim at our region. The system arrives late Wednesday in Montreal, with a burst of snow, followed by a messy mix of freezing rain and rain through midnight. Precipitation will switch over to rain overnight in the immediate St. Lawrence Valley as warm air surges northward. Before the changeover, some regions may receive up to 5cm of wet snow, along with 2 to 4mm of freezing rain.

On Thursday, expect rain, heavy at times, accompanied by thunder, and gusty southwest winds up to 60km/h. Temperatures were cold on Wednesday morning, dropping down to -8C (18F) here on Ile Perrot. The high Wednesday will ne near the freezing point. Temperatures will continue to warm overnight, to a high of 16C (60F) in Montreal on Thursday.

Further north and east, the cold air will linger longer, and those regions are under freezing rain warnings, as is the Ottawa Valley and large portions of eastern Ontario.

In Ontario, many regions that were hit hard by the worst ice storm since 1998, are unfortunately looking at more freezing rain and rain tonight. Strong winds will accompany the precipitation, only exasperating the tree and power line damage. Nearly 215,000 customers remain without power in central Ontario after the severe weekend ice storm dumped over 25mm of freezing rain on the region. There are several municipalities under a state of emergency and schools in the region remain closed.

Briefly looking ahead, we have more unsettled weather expected this weekend, with a mix of rain and snow forecast, Details to follow.