Happy New Year! Goodbye to a warm an dry 2025

The year will end on a breezy and cold note, with a few centimetres of light snow forecast for Montreal to ring in 2026. Roads and parking lots remain icy from Monday's rain and rapid freeze. Stay safe!(Valley Weather Photo)

On a personal note, I started Valley Weather in 1979, and blogging in 2005. I want to thank all of you who read my posts. I am so appreciative for your time. Wishing everyone a very happy, healthy and safe New Year.

The devil is always in the details when it comes to weather. I won't throw too many numbers at you, but it was basically a warm and dry 2025 for the most part across southwestern Quebec. There were some exceptions to that statement, but they were few and far between.

Winter was relatively easy, with the exception of the massive record-breaking three day snowstorm from February 13-16 that deposited 72.4cm of snow on Montreal. That single storm represented nearly 35 percent of the seasonal snowfall total of 205.9cm at Trudeau Airport.

Spring came quickly, with mainly warm and dry conditions from May through September. The city recorded 22 days over 30C (86F), including a 6 day heatwave in August that had high temperatures surpass 35C (95F) and humidex values well into the 40s. The long-term yearly average for frequency of 30C days in Montreal is only 10. 

The warmest high recorded at Trudeau Airport was on June 24 at 35.6C (96F). The coldest morning low both at Trudeau Airport and at my home here on Ile Perrot was February 2, at -21.8C (-7.2F) and -22.7C (-8.9F) respectively. 

The strongest gust of wind reported at Trudeau Airport was 96km/h on January 27. 

September was a record dry month, with only 33mm measured for the entire month, half of that falling on one day. Despite the dry weather, we did have some notable exceptions. We mentioned the massive February snowstorm. We also has another flash flood event in Montreal, when 81.6mm fell in a few hours on the afternoon of July 13, inundating homes and highways in the central part of the island. Halloween was also very wet, with 66mm falling on October 30/31. 

The long-term average for yearly rainfall at Trudeau Airport is 818.3mm. This year Montreal measured 749.2mm. While not too far from the normal, the majority of the rainfall fell in isolated events, with long periods of dry weather in between. June, August and September were dangerously dry, and July would have been as well, were it not for one thunderstorm on July 13. Water levels dropped to historic lows on rivers and lakes, and several municipalities began enforcing watering restrictions.

The year will end on a breezy, cold note. We also have another clipper system set to deliver 5-10cm of snow on New Year's Eve. The heaviest amounts will be southwest of Montreal along the New York State border, with less here in the city. The year will start on a cold note as temperatures struggle to reach -10C, with overnight lows in the minus 20s for many locations.

I look forward to the New Year. Sadly it will be without my trusted Bella by my side for the first time in 14 years. I miss her everyday, but her spirit remains with me.