First snowflakes fly in Montreal - Zeta heads for Louisiana

Hurricane Zeta as seen from NOAA satellite early Wednesday morning. Zeta is approaching the central Gulf Coast, expected to make landfall in southeastern Louisiana. (NOAA/NWS)

Wild weather continues across portions of North America, with a frigid push of Arctic air all the way down to New Mexico and Texas. Meanwhile here in southern Quebec, the first snowfall of season occurred on Monday, with several centimetres falling north of Montreal in the Laurentians. In the city, only a few flurries were reported on Monday, and again early Wednesday morning. Temperatures are much colder than last week, and should remain that way into the Halloween weekend. The weather will be unsettled, with a continued chance of showers or flurries though Friday. High pressure should arrive in time for a dry but cool Halloween. 

Across western Canada, the early season cold snap is expected to ease as much milder Pacific air pours into the region late this week. Calgary will see temperatures rise into the upper teens after being as cold as -18C (0F) this week.

While we continue to have fairly mundane weather here in southern Quebec, an early season winter storm dumped 15 to 60cm of snow on portions of the US plains from North Dakota southward into Texas. In addition to the heavy snow, a swath of freezing rain produced an epic ice storm over western Oklahoma and northwest Texas. Over 36 hours of freezing rain caused ice accretions greater than 25mm. The freezing rain was accompanied by thunder and lightning at times. The weight of the ice brought down trees and power lines cutting power to over 300,000 customers in Oklahoma alone.. The wind, snow and ice continue on Wednesday, with widespread warnings in effect. Further west, blizzard conditions are occurring in eastern New Mexico.

Over 25mm (1 inch) of freezing rain has struck western Oklahoma and northwest Texas. The ice has brought down trees and power lines placing over 500,000 in the dark. It is one of the earliest storms on record for the region. (Oklahoma City Police Photo)

In Colorado, the snow provided a little relief to what has been an historic wildfire season. Over 600,000 acres have burned in two separate fires alone, both have now spread into Rocky Mountain National Park. The Cameron Peak Fire, previously the largest fire in the states history, is now 64% contained. The East Troublesome Fire, the second largest in Colorado history is at 20% contained.

Snow blankets the Cameron Peak Fire in Colorado. (US Forest Service)

Finally, the record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season shows no sign of ending. Hurricane Zeta, located 380 kilometres southwest of New Orleans Wednesday morning with 150km/h winds, is expected to reach the northern Gulf Coast later today. Forecasters expect Zeta to strengthen to a Category 2 storm before landfall near the mouth of the Mississippi River. The storm will become the 5th tropical system to impact Louisiana this year. Some evacuations have been ordered along the coastlines, including Mississippi and Alabama. Zeta is forecast to move rapidly northeast across the Tennessee and Ohio Valley's and off the Middle Atlantic coast by early Friday. Heavy rains, powerful winds and a large storm surge are expected along the Gulf Coast. Heavy rain and flash flooding is expected inland across the southern Appalachians. Zeta may even bring wet snow to interior southern New England by Friday morning and perhaps portions of Atlantic Canada by the end of the work week.

Much colder weather set to invade southern Quebec

Cold, damp weather will return to Montreal Saturday, with perhaps the first snowflakes of the season early next week.

Friday has turned into a spectacular late October day across southern Quebec and eastern Ontario. Temperatures have warmed into the low 20s (70s). The record high for Montreal for October 23 was 25C (77F) set in 1979. We will likely fall just short of that, but it will be pleasant nonetheless. Accompanying the warmth is some much needed sunshine. It has been a damp, chilly and at times rainy week so far. So far this month 93.8mm of rain has fallen at Trudeau Airport.

Unfortunately the nice weather is only here for the day. High pressure is nudging into the region for less than 24 hours. It will be followed by a strong cold front sliding southeast from northern Ontario. The front will bring with it the coldest air of the season to date. For the last week, deep arctic air has been diving south into the Prairies and all the way into the US heartland. Heavy snow has fallen across portions of Alberta, Saskatchewan and into the US Rockies, Plain states and even the upper Midwest. That snow will slip even further south impacting portions of the southern plains and rockies over the upcoming weekend. Temperatures have been running 10 to 20 degrees Celsius below normal. Winter is now leaning on eastern Canada.

Tonight's cold front will produce showers and perhaps an isolated thunderstorm overnight. The big story will be the drop in temperatures. Montreal will fall from the middle 20's for highs Friday, into the single digits by Saturday morning and not move much after that. Overnight lows will be at or just slightly below freezing, with a high on Sunday of only 5C (41F). We may see some sunshine Sunday, otherwise clouds will prevail for most of the weekend. The current normal high/low for Montreal is 10C/2C (50F/36F)

First snowflakes for Montreal?

The cold air will remain in Montreal through next week. There will be several chances for precipitation, including perhaps some wet snow late Sunday night or early Monday morning before changing to rain. I don't expect any significant accumulations in the Montreal region, but I am watching it closely. Another chance for wet snow may come Wednesday night, but again I don't believe this is the first big storm.

Temperatures will remain below normal into the Halloween weekend.

Winter arrives close to home

Plows clear away heavy wet snow from Route 115 in northern New Hampshire early Saturday morning. The storm dumped 10 to 20cm of snow at the highest elevations of the White and Green Mountains, and into the Beauce and Townships of southern Quebec. (NHDOT Photo).

The first snowflakes of the season fell across portions of southeastern Quebec and adjacent northern New England late Friday into early Saturday morning. The snow was produced by deep Atlantic moisture being transported inland by a developing coastal storm. Meanwhile a cold front that gave Montreal showers on Friday, provided marginally cold enough temperatures for snowfall across the higher elevations of the region. 

Over 15cm of snow fell across the Beauce and parts of the Eastern Townships into northern New Hampshire and eastern Vermont. Snow also fell at Le Massif in the Charlevoix region of Quebec.  The snow was accompanied by strong winds, in some cases up to 90km/h, knocking down tree branches and power lines under the weight of the heavy wet snow. At the lower elevations, the precipitation fell as heavy rain, with close to 70mm at Newport and 55mm at Sherbrooke where snow mixed in at the end. A peak wind gust of 105km/h (65 mph) was reported on Ile-aux-Perroquets east of Sept Iles. Montreal missed the storm, with just a few showers Friday and seasonable temperatures over the weekend.

Western Arctic Chill

Meanwhile, arctic air has been pouring into western Canada, delivering early season snow and frigid temperatures across portions of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and northwestern Ontario. Dozens of new record lows were established over the weekend, including -14.7C (5.5F) at Edmonton Airport early Saturday morning. The accompanying snow blanketed portions of the southern Prairies making travel very poor.

The cold air will moderate as it moves east, with southern Ontario and Quebec remaining mild through early next week. The weather will be wet in Montreal, with frequent frontal boundaries producing clouds and light rain through at least Thursday. 

Briefly looking ahead to next week in Montreal, we may be seeing our own snowflakes as we head towards Halloween. Time will tell, but I am watching a couple of interesting systems that are brewing. Stay tuned!

The battle of the seasons across southern Quebec

Day turns to night after a warm, windy and somewhat muggy Saturday in Montreal. A strong cold front crossed the St. Lawrence Valley late in the day. The front generated a line of severe thunderstorms, producing lightning, hail and wind gusts to 90km/h. This photo was taken on Ile Perrot around 5pm on Saturday, October 10. (ValleyWeather Photo)

Fall is well underway across southern Quebec, but with a hint of summer still around and a sprinkling of winter. October, or as I like to call it the April of fall, is a month full of contrasts and the occasional surprise or two. We often see summer warmth, thunderstorms, frost and even snow within hours of each other. The weather on Thursday afternoon as a write this update is downright summery in southern Quebec. Temperatures on brisk southwest winds, have risen into the low to mid 20s, with Montreal currently at 21C (70F), and St. Anicet, Quebec, the warmest location in Canada at 24C (76F).

This past Saturday, Montreal recorded the warmest temperature so far this October, reaching 23C (73F), but just 36 hours later, it was 0C (32F), with frost. The weekend also featured howling winds, over 90km/h, hail and heavy thunderstorms. The storms knocked out power to over 50,000 Quebec homes and businesses. The front responsible for the windy weather, also delivered much colder air. Temperatures dropped below freezing in many locations by Monday morning. The start of this week was very wet as well, with 25mm (1 inch) of rain falling on Tuesday.

Looking ahead, another cold front arrives late Thursday evening, followed by a coastal storm late Friday. The front will bring a few showers, with the coastal storm remaining far enough to our east to just produce cloudy skies for Montreal. Temperatures will drop down to more seasonable values, with daytime highs near 15C (59F) and overnight lows around 5C (41F) for Montreal. Once the coastal storm pulls off to the northeast early Saturday, clearing skies will return to the region for the balance of the weekend.

Across western Canada, much colder air is forecast to filter into southern Alberta and Saskatchewan Thursday into Friday. A storm system will move inland from the Pacific and deliver 5 to 10cm of snow to the southern portion of both provinces by late in the day Friday. For some it will be the first snow of the season, with sick roads expected. 

The western snow is an early reminder that now is time for all of us to begin winterizing our home and car. The good news is that no really cold air or snow is in sight at this time for southern Quebec. But don't be lulled into a false sense of security, it is on the way.

Widespread frost expected across southern Quebec

Fast moving late season thunderstorms swept across the Island of Montreal and Laval on Wednesday, October 7. Some of the storms produced heavy rain and minor flooding as shown above on Eliot Avenue in Chomedey. (T. Giotsalitis) 

If the growing season has not yet ended in your community, it likely will overnight into Friday morning. Frost warnings are in effect for metro Montreal, with freezing temperatures forecast across the region.

A cold front swept across southern Quebec late Wednesday, accompanied by a round of potent showers and isolated thunderstorms. Some regions, including parts of Laval received quite a decent downpour, with some isolated flooding reported. Officially only 8mm fell at Trudeau Airport in Dorval. A wind gust to 74km/h was also reported with the storms at Trudeau.

Behind the front, much cooler air settled into Montreal, but gusty winds managed to keep the temperatures above the freezing point Wednesday night. It has been a chilly day in Montreal, with the high so far only reaching 10C (50F), accompanied by 50km/h northwest winds. As winds diminish this evening and skies clear out, a general frost is expected. Overnight lows will range from 0C (32F) in the city to -2C (28F) in the suburbs. Friday will be sunny and a touch warmer, with a high in the low teens. 

On Saturday, another warm front will lift across the St. Lawrence Valley, with a repeat of Wednesday's weather expected. The day will be breezy and warm, with a high of 21C (70F) before a cold front arrives in the late afternoon. The front will be accompanied by heavy showers and perhaps a rumble or two of thunder. Temperatures will quickly fall back once again into the single digits and only rise to 11C (52F) on Sunday.

Record breaking hurricane season continues as Delta hits Cancun

Mexican authorities clear away downed trees blocking roads in the beach resort of Cancun. Hurricane delta made landfall with 165km/h winds early Wednesday morning. (Reed Timmer via Facebook)

The tropics have become active once again, with the 25th name storm of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season making landfall near Cancun, Mexico early Wednesday morning. Hurricane Delta moved briefly inland over the northern Yucatan Peninsula, before moving back into the extreme southern Gulf of Mexico. Delta was a category 2 storm with 175km/h winds at landfall, down from the 235km/h category 4 winds the storm had late Tuesday. At 2pm ET, Delta was located 110km east, northeast of Progreso and moving northwest at 28km/h. Winds were down to 155km/h due to the interaction with land.

Satellite image of Hurricane Delta moving across the Yucatan Peninsula and emerging back over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico early Wednesday morning. (NOAA)

As I write this post, it appears most of the damage at this time has been to trees and power lines. There are reports of flooding and some structural damage to hotels and buildings along the Mexican Riviera, but far less damage than was earlier feared. It still comes as a blow to the region that has been suffering from a lack of tourists during the worldwide Covid crisis. The first European tourists in months arrived on October 1st aboard a Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt, Germany with 260 passengers, most of which were either evacuated or ordered to shelter in place to ride out the hurricane. Many tourists chose to leave in advance of the storm, at least until flights were cancelled due to Delta.

Delta will now simmer in the Gulf of Mexico for a few days before taking a run at the Louisiana coast by Friday. The storm is forecast to intensify back to a category 4 hurricane before weakening slightly on approach to the US Gulf Coast. A hurricane watch is in effect from the upper Texas coast to Grand Isle, Louisiana. Evacuations will likely be ordered for a portion of the coast as the forecast becomes more clear.

Delta will become the record-breaking 10th storm to strike the US coastline in 2020 when it arrives along the Gulf Coast on Friday. This will surpass the record of 9 storms set all the way back in 1916. The list of names presented by the World Meteorological Organization has been exhausted in 2020 for only the second time in history. The National Hurricane Center will now use the Greek alphabet for all remaining storms in 2020. Keep in mind the season is far from over, ending only on November 30th.

Typical October weather weekend ahead for Montreal

A spectacular double rainbow appeared in the skies over Montreal after a late afternoon shower on October 1st. (Valley Weather Photo)

September has drawn to a close and October is underway looking like, well, Montreal in October. I just love October skies and Thursday did not disappoint. The sky was busy to say the least, with pop up showers and dark clouds mixing with bright sunshine and deep blue fall skies, all against the backdrop of colourful foliage. Add a spectacular afternoon double rainbow and an evening full harvest moon and it was a sight for the senses.

Friday will not feature such vibrant skies, but more of a general overcast across southern Quebec. Low pressure will be lifting northeast across New England, while a cold front progresses through the region. The clouds will produce numerous showers and perhaps a rumble or two of thunder. Temperatures will be near normal, with a daytime high near 14C (56F) and overnight lows dipping to 5C (41F). The weekend will remain cloudy, with the odd shower and seasonably cool temperatures. Highs will be near 15C, with lows close to 0C in many locations.

The growing season came to an early end in many locations across southern Quebec in September. This was well ahead of the long-term average for the region and the second earliest freeze on record. Despite this, temperatures soared into the upper 20s a week later. (Valley Weather Photo)

September was certainly a strange month in Montreal. I had anticipated extended warmth from our hot summer, but sadly that was not the case. Temperatures ended up 0.5 degrees below normal in Montreal, with an average of 15C (59F). Most of the month featured highs either side of the 20 degree mark, but there were a few exceptions. We had a very early frost for southern Quebec, with below freezing temperature in many locations around the 20th of the month. I had frost on Ile Perrot on September 21st, the second earliest end to the growing season on record for the region. The end of the month however featured a couple of days with well above normal temperatures. Montreal reached 28C (83F) on the 27th, along with elevated humidity levels. The mini heatwave lasted three days. The high humidity levels made it feel like south Florida and not southern Quebec.

The majority of September was rain-free in Montreal, with 76mm of precipitation falling at Trudeau Airport. The long-term normal for the month is 83mm. However most of the rain fell on only three days, 22mm on the 13th, followed by 33mm over 48 hours ending on the 30th.

Teddy makes landfall in eastern Nova Scotia

A fishing trawler in Seaforth, Nova Scoita sits tightly secured early Tuesday morning in advance of Hurricane Teddy. Teddy made landfall as a strong post-tropical storm early Wednesday morning near Sheet Harbour. Damage so far has been minor. (CBC)

Hurricane Teddy completed a transformation into a powerful post-tropical cyclone late Tuesday, before moving into Nova Scotia, well northeast of Halifax. The once Category 4 hurricane moved inland between Sheet Harbour and Ecum Secum, Nova Scotia around 10AM Atlantic Time Wednesday morning.

At the time of landfall, Teddy had 105km/h winds, with a central pressure of 964 millibars. Teddy is now racing off to the northeast at 43km/h, expected to move into the Gulf of St. Lawrence later today, and then across far western Newfoundland. The storm continues to produce heavy rain and strong winds, but it has been the fierce surf and pounding waves that have been Teddy's main feature. Wave heights in some offshore locations have been over 10 metre high (30 feet). 

So far minimal damage has been reported across the province, with the strongest winds occurring north and east of Halifax. A peak wind gust to 107km/h was recently reported at Hart Island, and 97km/h at Eskasoni. Winds have been frequently gusting close to 100km/h on Sable Island. Nova Scotia power is reporting a little over 18,000 clients without electricity as of 11am. Approximately 300 crews have been assigned to storm damage, with the assistance of several teams from New Brunswick Power.

Teddy will continue to move northeast today while weakening slightly. The storm is large in size, with tropical storm force winds extending outward up to 335km from the center. Cloud cover from Teddy has spread as far west as southern Quebec Wednesday morning. Gusty northwest winds will develop across most of Quebec on Wednesday as Teddy pulls away and a pressure gradient develops between the storm and high pressure nudging into our region.

Hurricane Teddy to impact Atlantic Canada

The Canadian Hurricane Centre forecast track for hurricane Teddy. Teddy is currently a category 2 storm southeast of Bermuda. The large hurricane will be transitioning into a powerful post-tropical cyclone as it approaches Canadian waters late Tuesday.

Early Monday morning, category 2 hurricane teddy was located 260km southeast of Bermuda. The large hurricane had 260km/h winds and was moving north northeast at 15km/h. 

Teddy is producing massive ocean swells all along the eastern seaboard from Nova Scotia to North Carolina. Coastal flooding continues to be an issue along the Outer Banks, with large waves washing over dunes and coastal roads.

Teddy is expected to move into Canadian waters during Tuesday afternoon. A tropical storm watch is currently in effect for the Nova Scotia coast including Cape Breton Island. Seas are forecast to build in the offshore waters between 10-15 metres (30-50 feet). Those wave heights will translate into quite a storm surge along southeast facing shorelines.

NOAA satellite image of hurricane Teddy moving east of Bermuda on Monday, September 21.

In addition to the pounding surf and storm surge, strong winds of 80-110km'h are expected. The strongest winds should remain offshore at this time. Heavy rain and flash flooding may also occur, as 100-150mm of rain is forecast along and to the west of the storm track. 

Teddy is forecast to arrive in Nova Scotia late Tuesday before moving across the Gulf of St. Lawrence and into southern Newfoundland Wednesday. Strong winds are expected to produce tree damage and the possibility of widespread power outages across the region.

Perfect stretch of fall weather ahead for Montreal

A very smoky sunset over southern Quebec on Wednesday evening. Gusty southwest winds delivered smoke from the western United States wildfires all the way  into eastern Canada. The smoke was very high in the atmosphere and had very little impact at the surface. The air was swept clean by a cold front on Thursday morning. (Valley Weather Photo)

High pressure is settling into southern Quebec Friday afternoon, with the prospect of near-perfect late summer, early fall weather through the middle of next week. Along with bright sunshine will come colder than normal temperatures through the weekend. 

There is a good chance of frost in most locations tonight and especially Saturday night. The only exception will be along the St. Lawrence River and in the urban areas of Montreal. This is early for the first frost, with the average date not coming until October. But that has been 2020, snow in May followed by a scorching hot summer, and now an early fall.

Overnight lows through the weekend will range from 0C (32F) to 3C (38F). Daytime highs will be in the 12C (54F) to 14C (56F) range. Those highs will rise slightly into the middle to perhaps upper teens by next Tuesday. No precipitation is forecast through at least Wednesday.

The forecast track of hurricane Teddy, has the storm approaching Nova Scotia as a hurricane, by late in the day Tuesday. (NHC)

Tropical Atlantic

Early this morning, a rather high deck of stratus cloud cover moved over the southern portion of the province including Montreal. The clouds were actually associated with the remains of hurricane Sally, passing well south of our region, over the middle Atlantic states. Sally made landfall as a category 2 hurricane around 5am Wednesday morning in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The storm produced significant, widespread damage along coastal Alabama and the Florida panhandle. Top wind speed reported was at Gulf Shores at 197km/h (123 mph). Historic rainfall occurred with Sally with 1 to 2 feet falling in many locations. The largest accumulation was at Bellview, Florida, where 760mm (30") of rain fell. Over 500,000 homes and businesses were left without power across the southeast US. Three fatalities have been associated with the hurricane so far, with damage expected to run into the billions of dollars.

Sally was just one of several storms that are in the Atlantic basin currently. Powerful hurricane Teddy was located 1420km southeast of Bermuda Friday afternoon, with 215km/h winds. Teddy is forecast to brush by Bermuda this weekend, before taking aim at Nova Scotia. Teddy is expected to approach Canadian waters, still as a hurricane, by late Tuesday. 

Further southwest of Teddy's location is tropical storm Wilfred. In the Gulf of Mexico, tropical depression 22 is expected to become a tropical storm today and possibly a hurricane this weekend. The storms future may take it into the upper Texas coast by early next week. 

Remember September...

One of two Quebec aircraft, a Bombardier "super scooper" shown above battling wildfires in southern California last week. The province has dispatched 60 personal and 2 water bombers to help with the dozens of major fires burning across the state. (SOPFEU)

Remember September is part an old Carib Indians saying that refers to the increase in hurricane activity in the month of September across the West Indies. This saying takes on a new meaning in the wildly unpredictable Covid year of 2020. The weather is downright crazy, just about everywhere across North America this year, with record-breaking heat, strong thunderstorms, hurricanes, wildfires and even snow!

As I write this update early Sunday morning, forecasters are watching six tropical systems in the Atlantic Basin. The busy season has already featured 18 named storms. Before we start into the tropics, I will take a brief look at the weather here in Montreal. September has been, well, tranquil so far, especially in reference to the rest of the continent. Rainfall and temperatures have been very close to normal to start the month. We have has a few colder mornings, but only patchy frost to date. The last week of summer, will feature some rain along a warm front to today, along  with gusty southwest winds. Temperatures will rise to either side of 20C across southern Quebec. A cold front will deliver more showers this evening, before cooler and drier air arrives for Monday and Tuesday. Monday will feature cooler temperatures, with highs near 16C and lows around 6C. Warmer air will return by mid-week, before we deal with the remains of Sally.

TROPICAL STORM SALLY

Tropical storm Sally developed late Saturday just south of Key West, Florida. The storm is located about 485 km southeast of New Orleans early Sunday. Forecasters expect Sally to strengthen into hurricane before making landfall along the southeast Louisiana coast late Monday. Hurricane warnings have been raised Sunday along the northern Gulf Coast from Florida to Louisiana. Some evacuations have already been ordered for New Orleans. Overnight over a foot of rain fell in the Florida Keys, with flash flooding reported.

Thousands of acres are burning from southern California into southern B.C. (NOAA)

WILDFIRES

Tens of thousands of acres continue to burn across the western US this weekend. The fast moving wildfires have scorched homes and business across California and into Oregon and Washington. The smoke from the fires has turned day into and eerie pre-dawn glow in major cities including Seattle, Portland and San Francisco. The smoke is now drifting into southern Canada. Air quality advisories are in place from southern BC into Alberta. Sunday morning Vancouver was reporting under 2 km visibility in smoke. The intense fires have claimed at least 28 lives so far, with dozens missing. Many believe the fires will burn until the snow arrives in the late fall. The Province of Quebec has sent 2 aircraft and 60 personnel so far to help battle the fires in California. It is a very sad situation, with many homes destroyed and thousands left homeless in what already has been a difficult year for so many.

A shocking summer snowstorm swept across the northern and central US Rockies last Wednesday, just 24 hours after record highs in the upper 90s. Temperatures have already returned back into the 80s this weekend. (WX Chasing Image)

SUMMER SNOW

One last note, this past week a strong cold front settled across Alberta into Montana and points south. Flurries and patchy frost were reported in Alberta. Temperatures in Wyoming and Colorado fell from the upper 30s (95 to 100 F) into the low single digits above and below freezing from late Tuesday into Wednesday morning. Denver reported snow and freezing temperatures only 24 hours after highs in the upper 90s. The snow caught many motorists off guard, with dozens of accidents reported.

I can only imagine what the rest of 2020 has planned for us in the weather department.

Welcome to Meteorological Fall

Fall weather can be spectacular in Montreal, but it still means less daylight and cooler nights. While many prefer fall, I am already missing the hot weather.

Hard to believe it, but summer 2020 is quickly slipping away, with fall weather on the horizon for Montreal. September 1st is considered the start of meteorological fall, with the warmest three months of the year now behind us. The calendar will catch up in a few weeks on September 22 at 9:31 EDT. There is already a hint of colour in some of the trees in my neighbourhood.

August was a little surprising to me, I had expected it to be just as torrid a month as July. Temperatures were warm to start the month, but much cooler to end. August turned out to be a very humid month, along with frequent rounds of showers and thunderstorms. Those showers and storms not only helped lower the monthly average temperature, but deposited plenty of rainfall. A total of 174.2mm of rain fell at the airport, the normal should be 94.1mm. That total was more than May, June and July combined in Montreal, when just 167.4mm fell. A large amount of the monthly total occurred when the remains of hurricane Isaias passed through southern Quebec on August 4.

All that cloud cover and rainfall resulted in monthly temperatures that were fairly close to normal. The average high at Trudeau Airport was 20.6C (69F), just slightly above the long-term normal of 20.1C (68.2F). There was only 1 day that officially went above 30C at Trudeau, that was 33.2C (91.8C) on August 11. That brings the total number of days at 30C or warmer to a record-setting 24 for Montreal in 2020. 

Looking ahead, September is expected to be slightly warmer than normal, with daily highs in the low to middle 20s. The nights are becoming longer and thus much cooler. The average overnight low starts the month at 12C (54F) but drops into the single digits by the end, at 7C (45F). Frost typically holds off until mid-October, at least in the urban areas.

Hurricane Laura devastates Lake Charles, Louisiana

Ferocious winds have produced widespread damage in Lake Charles, Louisiana overnight. Laura made landfall as a powerful category 4 hurricane near Cameron. (CNN)

One of the strongest hurricanes to impact Louisiana in the modern era, smashed into Cameron parish at 1 am central time Thursday morning. The category 4 storm with 240 km/h (150 mph) winds caused widespread devastation in the community of Lake Charles. Wind gust over 200km/h were reported, with sustained winds of up to 160km/h for several hours. The result is the complete failure of many structures, as well as office buildings with every window punched out.

I watched the coverage of Laura overnight from Lake Charles, provided by storm chaser Reed Timmer and his team. Laura was a fierce, fast-moving hurricane, with relentless powerful winds tearing apart structures. Power lines and trees are spread across just about every roadway in Lake Charles. Across southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas, over 700,000 homes and businesses are without power Thursday, in sweltering heat and humidity.

National Weather Service radar from Lake Charles showing the eye of Laura crossing the coast at 1AM Thursday morning. Later as the storm approached Lake Charles, the radar was destroyed. (NWS)

So far three US fatalities have been reported as a result of Laura, from trees falling on homes. I have found very little information on Cameron, where Laura made landfall. It is estimated that the storm surge near Cameron was around 10 feet, less than expected, but still a significant amount of water. Search and rescue crews and First Responders are still assessing the damage along the coast. Elsewhere in Louisiana and Texas, surge flooding did occur, but was less severe than expected.

As of noon, Laura had been downgraded to a tropical storm, loosing steam as all storms do when the move inland. Laura is racing off to the north at 24km/h, expected to produce strong winds, torrential rain and isolated tornadoes into portions of northern Louisiana and Arkansas. Laura is then expected to move across the middle Atlantic region by the weekend. 

ATLANTIC CANADA IMPACTS POSSIBLE

Once Laura moves offshore, the storm main gain some strength and threaten Nova Scotia and Newfoundland by early next week, with gale force winds and heavy rainfall. The progress of what is left of Laura will need to be watched closely by Atlantic Canada residents.

A Cameron Parish Sheriff Deputy braves the outer bands of Laura on Wednesday afternoon. (CNN/AP)

Dangerous hurricane Laura rapidly strengthening

Satellite image of extremely dangerous hurricane Laura located over the central Gulf of Mexico early Wednesday morning. Laura is expected to become a Category 4 hurricane today before moving inland over extreme southwest Louisiana tonight. (NOAA)

Hurricane Laura is expected to deepen rapidly today into a monster category 4 hurricane as the storm approaches the northern Gulf Coast. Early Wednesday morning, the center of Laura was located 540 km southeast of Galveston, Texas, moving northwest at 24km/h. Peak winds overnight have increased to 175km/h (110mph). Further intensification is likely today as Laura moves over the very warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.  

Widespread hurricane and storm warnings are now in effect from the upper Texas coast eastward towards Mississippi.

Laura is forecast to make landfall late this evening or overnight, with catastrophic storm surge expected to the right of where the center comes onshore. A surge of 12-15 feet is forecast along the southwest Louisiana coast, including low-lying Cameron Parish. Preparations and evacuations are being rushed to completion this morning. Tropical storm force winds and water will begin arriving at the coast early this afternoon.

Hurricane hunter aircraft have reported that Laura has become a larger storm overnight, with hurricane and tropical storm winds extending outward far from the center of the storm. Strong winds, torrential rain and flash flooding will impact a large portion of Texas and Louisiana including metro Houston tonight and Thursday. Those conditions will spread into northern Louisiana, southeast Oklahoma and Arkansas on Friday.

I will post further updates on hurricane Laura later today.

Twin storms threaten the US Gulf Coast

A NOAA satellite image showing the location of two tropical storms expected to impact the US Gulf Coast during the upcoming week. (NHC)

It has already been a record-breaking tropical season in the Atlantic Basin, and we are just entering the peak portion of the year. From mid-August through late September is usually when the tropics really begin to heat up. Tonight we have two tropical storms, Laura and Marco in the Caribbean Sea. On average, the M named storm does not come along until late October.

Tropical Storm Marco

Let's start with the western most storm Marco. Tropical storm Marco late this afternoon was about 50 miles (80 km) west of the western tip of Cuba, with 65 mph (104 km/h) winds. Marco has surprised everyone today by remaining over open water and splitting the Yucatan and Cuban coasts. Originally forecasters believed Marco would cross the Yucatan, and take a run at the Texas coast. It now appears the storm will head much further east, towards the mouth of the Mississippi River. Marco is expected to encounter upper level wind shear over the next 24 hours and may weaken somewhat. Marco may still reorganize and strengthen in time to arrive at the Louisiana coast as a hurricane by late Monday or early Tuesday. A hurricane watch has already been posted from Louisiana to the Florida panhandle. A state of emergency has been declared across the region, and residents are being urged to prepare now.

Tropical Storm Laura

Tropical storm Laura is a compact system, located over Puerto Rico late Saturday. Laura has 50 mph (80 km/h) winds, and is producing very heavy rainfall, flooding and mudslides over portions of Puerto Rico and neighbouring Hispaniola. Laura is forecast to eventually head northwest across Cuba and the Florida Keys and into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico by late Monday. As early as Wednesday, Laura will be threatening the same coastline that was hit by Marco on Monday. Forecasters expect Laura to strengthen into a hurricane before making landfall on Wednesday.

This is a very rare event to have two tropical systems making landfall along the same coast, within miles of each other, in under 48 hours. This will certainly be an interesting if not historic weather week.

Slightly cooler weather week ahead for southern Quebec

A rare fire tornado erupts along the edge of the Loyalton Fire in Lassen County, California on Saturday. (Photo by Katelynn Hewlett via social media)

As I am writing this blog update, light to moderate rain is falling outside my office window in Saint Laurent. Since about 9:30am, nearly 20mm has fallen already in the west end of the city. The rain is associated with an extremely slow moving cold front that is draped across eastern Ontario. The front and a secondary trough will take the better part of the next 24 hours to clear the region. Until then we can expect a very muggy airmass, with temperatures in the middle 20s. Showers and isolated thunderstorms will prevail as well, with the bulk of the precipitation occurring Monday morning and again Tuesday afternoon.

Behind the front, cooler and drier air will push into the region. The weather will not be cold, but will feel very refreshing after the prolonged heat this summer. The pleasant weather will prevail to end the week, unfortunately another round of showers and thunderstorms will be possible by the upcoming weekend. 

The sun peeks through the clouds on another humid August afternoon in Montreal. The summer of 2020 will likely be one of the warmest on record for the city, with a record-setting 24 days over 30C (86F) already and another 9 days over 29C (85F). (ValleyWeather Photo)

August has featured just one day of 30C weather to date in Montreal, bringing the total to a record-breaking 24 days since late May. If you add the 9 days where the temperature fell just short of that mark, between 29C and 29.9C, nearly one third of the summer has had high temperatures over 85F in Montreal.

It is now western Canada's turn to experience high heat. A strong ridge of high pressure over Utah, is pumping hot air from Arizona and California, northward into BC and Alberta. Strong south winds are acting like a blast furnace, with daily highs soaring into the upper 30s and 40s on Sunday. Over 20 record highs were broken in BC and Alberta on Sunday. The hot spot was Lytton, B.C. where the temperature reached a scorching 41.2C (106F). The hot weather is expected to persist most of the upcoming week from BC to Saskatchewan. 

The weather was much the same south of the border from the Pacific Northwest south towards the Mexican border. In southern California and Arizona, highs in some locations have reached the upper 40s (110-115F). The hot, dry weather is fuelling massive forest fires across western North America. In B.C., 24 active fires are burning, an increase of 10 in just the last 24 hours. One of the largest fires in recent history is burning in Colorado, west of Denver. In Lassen County, California, nearly 10,000 acres have burned in the Hog Fire. The raging infernos produced a rare fire tornado in the Loyalton fire complex close to the Nevada border on Saturday. 

The heatwave is expected to persist for the entire upcoming week across the west, with only some slight relief occurring along the Canadian border.

Another heat warning in effect for Montreal and southern Quebec

Another stretch of hot and humid weather is on tap for metro Montreal this week, in what is quickly becoming one of the warmest summers ever recorded in the city.

Heat warning posted for southern Quebec and eastern Ontario, including metro Montreal and Ottawa.

I have lost count, but we have had at least a half dozen or so heat warnings that have been issued for Montreal this summer. We have another in effect currently, as temperatures are expected to rise into the low 30s Monday and Tuesday, along with elevated humidity levels. The humidex is forecast to approach 40C through the start of the week.

Once the fog and low clouds burn off Monday morning, we are looking at warm and humid weather through early Wednesday, with the risk of a few showers and thunderstorms on the increase. Less humid weather should return by Wednesday afternoon, bit temperatures will remain warm.

This warm snap comes on the heels of the hottest July on record for Montreal. The average for the month was a sultry 24.3C (75.7F), the normal should be 21.2C(70.1F). The city had 14 daily highs in excess of 30C (86F) with a maximum reading of 36.1C (97F). The overnight periods were extremely warm, with 13 daily lows remaining above 20C (68F) and 28 of the 31days over 16C (60F). It was a similar story across eastern North America, with many cities either reporting their warmest July or in the top 5 at the very least. Burlington, Vermont had it warmest month ever on record at 24.9C (76.9F), with their data dating back to 1892. 

An incredible photo of the massive EF-2 tornado that struck near Scarth, Manitoba on Friday evening. The powerful storm travelled at least 9km across the area south of Virden. Local RCMP have sadly confirmed two fatalities as a result of the tornado.
(PHOTO: Manitoba Storm Chasers)

Massive deadly Manitoba tornado

A rare EF-2 tornado, with winds of up to 190km/h occurred Friday evening near the small town of Scarth south of Virden in southwest Manitoba. Sadly 2 teens were killed after the violent storm tossed their truck off the highway.  There was an additional injury reported by the RCMP. The storm also produced damage to several farms as well as power lines and trees. According to The Northern Tornadoes Project, the tornado had a preliminary track length of 9.35 km long and 740 metres wide.

The complex of thunderstorms produced several tornadoes Friday evening across southeast Saskatchewan, Manitoba and North Dakota. There was also large hail reported in the region. Canada has had a sharp increase in tornadic activity this summer across Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec, likely due to the hot and humid weather that has prevailed. The country averages 62 tornadoes for the entire year, and we are quickly closing in on that number with at least 52 to date.

Over 45,000 lose power in Quebec from Isaias

Widespread damage and power outages occurred as a result of tropical storm Isaias along the entire east coast from North Carolina to southern Quebec. A US postal worker was lucky to escape with his life after a massive tree crushed his delivery vehicle on Tuesday in northern New Jersey. (CBS)

Tropical storm Isaias is gone, dissipating well northeast of Quebec City on Wednesday. All that is left behind here in Montreal, are some ragged dark clouds, isolated showers and gusty winds. The storm was disruptive on Tuesday to say the very least. After making landfall near Oak Island, North Carolina Monday night, Isaias raced northeast at lightning speed arriving in southern Quebec just before midnight on Tuesday, having traveled over 1500km in about 24 hours.

Along the way, Isaias dumped torrential rain, spawned dozens of tornadoes and killed at least 6 people in the US. Power outages were numerous across the eastern seaboard, rivalling those from superstorm Sandy back in 2012. Nearly 4 million residents were in the dark at the height of the storm on Tuesday. That number is slowly coming down today. There was major damage to homes and infrastructure in coastal North Carolina at the point of landfall, as well as scattered significant damage from tornadoes in several states including Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and Virginia. On Mount Washington in northern New Hampshire, a wind gust to 236 km/h (147mph) was reported as the storm passed late Tuesday.

Strong winds pulled down trees in the Quebec City region on Tuesday, taking down power lines in the process. At the height of the storm, over 45,000 Hydro-Quebec subscribers were in the dark. (Radio Canada)

In southern Quebec, heavy rain fell most of the day, with 100mm (4 inches) falling in Trois Rivieres, 120mm in the Charlevoix region and 30 to 50mmm here in metro Montreal. There was some minor flooding observed, but thankfully nothing too serious. The strongest winds in Quebec were confined to a narrow swath across the Townships into Quebec City, where Winds gusted up to 90 km/h. Power was out to over 45,000 homes and businesses, mostly around Quebec City and points south to the US border. At 11:15 Wednesday morning, that number was down to 21,000.

In the wake of Isaias, much calmer weather will return to southern Quebec to end the work week, with sunshine and warm temperatures expected into the upcoming weekend.

Tropical Storm Isaias to move from the Carolinas to Quebec

A NOAA Satellite image of tropical storm Isaias nearing the South Carolina coast late Monday. The storm may reach hurricane strength of 75 mph just prior to landfall.

Tropical Storm Isaias was located 100km south, southeast of Charleston, South Carolina at 5pm Monday afternoon. The storm is forecast to make landfall late this evening very close to the North Carolina/South Carolina border, possibly as a Category 1 hurricane. Isaias is a strong tropical storm this evening, with 70mph (112km/h) winds and showing better organization that it has in some time. Heavy rain, strong winds and coastal flooding will impact a large swath of the Eastern Seaboard on Tuesday.

The system will race northeast on Tuesday along the middle Atlantic coast and into New England. Isaias will then continue across New Hampshire and Vermont and likely into southeastern Quebec by early Wednesday morning.

Widespread weather warnings are in place along the entire projected path of the storm, for strong damaging winds, heavy tropical rain and storm surge. In southern Quebec, heavy rainfall warnings have been issued by Environment Canada for the Eastern Townships and Beauce, for up to 60mm of rain. The rain will likely fall in just a few hours on Tuesday evening, so flash flooding is possible. In Vermont and eastern New York, flash flood watches have been issued, with between 50-100mm (2-4 inches) of rain expected. A tropical storm watch is in effect for all of interior New Hampshire, with warnings along the coast. Winds may reach 80 to 100km/h in southern New Hampshire and Vermont.

The 5pm forecast track for Isaias, has the tropical storm moving from the Carolinas to southern Quebec over the next 36 hours.

Impacts in Montreal

Montreal will be on the western edge of the storm, with showers and thunderstorms expected Tuesday, along with gusty winds of 20-40km/h. In other parts of Quebec, winds will gust up to 60km/h. In terms of rainfall, Montreal can expect another 25mm (1 inch) of rain from Isaias through early Wednesday. We can add that to the 39mm that fell in thunderstorms on Sunday. Any change in the forecast track would have an impact on the rain totals for Montreal.

Isaias managed to spare Florida, with the worst of the weather remaining offshore.

Isaias will continue to weaken slowly, while moving northeast into Labrador on Thursday.

Hurricane Isaias heads for south Florida

The path of Hurricane Isaias, will take the system from the Bahamas into south Florida this weekend, and eventually up the eastern seaboard towards New England. (NHC)

Hurricane Isaias, the 9th tropical system of the record-breaking 2020 Atlantic Hurricane season, is moving across the central Bahamas early Saturday morning. The storm is located 125 km south, southeast of Nassau, moving northwest at 19km/h. Winds in the hurricane are gusting over 140km/h.

Isaias is expected to maintain hurricane strength as the system approaches the south Florida coast late Saturday or early Sunday. At this time, the center is expected to remain slightly offshore, with the most intense weather perhaps remaining over the Atlantic. A hurricane warning is in effect for the Florida coast from Boca Raton to Volusia County. Winds of at least tropical storm force 39mph (62km/h) are expected across much of eastern Florida later today. Even if the center remains offshore, heavy rainfall, in excess of 150mm is possible along the east coast of Florida through Sunday. A storm surge of up to 4 feet is also possible along the path of Isaias.

All interests along the entire east coast as far north as New England are advised to monitor Isaias. The storm will likely impact the Carolina's by Tuesday. Evacuations have been ordered for Ocracoke Island along the Outer Banks of North Carolina, which was devastated by Hurricane Dorion last September. 

By Wednesday, a weakening Isaias should be providing some decent rainfall to southern and central New England and eventually Atlantic Canada. At this time, only a few showers and perhaps a rumble of thunder are expected for Montreal and the St. Lawrence Valley from Isaias.