Another round of pre-dawn thunderstorms for Montreal

Thunderstorms moving away from Montreal towards the northeast early Tuesday morning. Despite the cooler temperatures at the surface, warm unstable air moving in from the south has generated numerous storms this week in the St. Lawrence Valley. (Valley Weather Photo)

I was dodging lightning strikes for the third time this week in Montreal while walking my pup during the pre-dawn hours Thursday morning. Another round of storms swept across the region, accompanied by frequent lighting and brief, but heavy rainfall. 

The scenario has been much the same all week here in the St. Lawrence Valley, a warm front lifting into the region, while cool northeast winds supply colder temperatures at the surface. The instability has resulted in the storms firing up, as they did Sunday and Tuesday mornings. Thunderstorms are not that uncommon in late April, but the timing of the storms is a little unusual.

While very warm air has surged into parts of New York State and southwestern Ontario, temperatures have remained quite cool here in Montreal.

Radar image of southern Quebec showing clusters of storms sweeping across the Montréal region during the pre-dawn hours Thursday morning. Nocturnal storms are not all that common in Montreal in the spring, yet this is the third time this week.

The heavy rainfall the has fallen this week, added to an already impressive total for April. The month ended with 142mm of rainfall at Trudeau Airport, well-above the normal value of  82mm. Add to that 26cm of snow, which is double the normal, and it was definitely a wet month.

As we move forward this week, skies should clear out for Friday, with milder high temperatures close to 20C (68F). The weekend looks a little unsettled again, as warmer air will try to take a run at the region. Expect some shower activity, with perhaps a rumble or two of thunder. Next week, much the same, warmer, more humid and more thunderstorms.

Perhaps we are getting an early preview of what the summer of 2024 might look like. Time will tell.

Mother Nature puts on an early morning light show across southern Quebec

A spectacular lightning storm woke up many across the Montreal region early Sunday morning, with thousands of strikes occurring between 4-5AM. The photo above was taken at 4AM on Ile Perrot, with nearly constant thunder and lightning for over an hour. Heavy rain accompanied the storms, with 21mm falling at my home. (Valley Weather Photo)

A warm front lifting across southwestern Quebec early Sunday morning was the trigger for a cluster of thunderstorms that produced spectacular lightning. Nocturnal thunderstorms tend to be weaker than there afternoon cousins, but these has a little additional energy and instability. While the storms remained below severe criteria, they did produce thousands of dangerous lightning strikes. Thankfully most of the lightning was cloud to cloud, and only a few power outages were reported.

 The sky was constantly glowing, with nearly continuous flashes of blue and orange between 4 and 5AM in Montreal. Along with the lightning was persistent rolling thunder, making it an early morning for many. Accompanying the light show was just over 21mm of rain here in Ile Perrot. The thunderstorms rapidly moved off to the southeast while dissipating.

I was up early with my beloved 15 year old terrier who no longer has a working internal clock. The short early morning walk was lit up as if it was daytime. We retreated indoors quickly. It was some of the most intense lightning I have seen since my days in southern Saskatchewan

The remainder of the day was mild and muggy, with additional showers and isolated thunder, mostly south of the city along the New York border and across eastern Ontario.

We have a mixed weather week ahead, starting off cool, but warming up by Thursday into the low 20s. Wet weather is expected Monday night as another warm front lifts north into the region. Showers and more thunderstorms are possible.

Spectacular photo of a powerful tornado near Waverly, Nebraska on Friday, April 26. The tornado was one of over one hundred that occurred during the weekend across the southern and central plains into the Mississippi Valley. (Photo: Nick Gregath)

US TORNADO OUTBREAK

A significant and destructive tornado outbreak occurred on both Friday and Saturday across portions of the southern plains and Mississippi Valley. Over 100 tornadoes were reported by the National Weather Service. Powerful long-lasting tornadoes swept across Iowa and Nebraska on Friday, including a 2-3 mile wide wedge tornado near Lincoln, Nebraska. Damage was complete in many small communities, including Elkhorn, Nebraska, with homes leveled to their foundations, and vehicles tossed around. Miraculously there were no fatalities reported from Friday's storms, with the National Weather Service providing timely warnings.

Another round of powerful storms targeted Oklahoma Saturday night, producing a strong tornado in the community of Sulfur. The damage to the downtown core of that community southeast of Oklahoma City was nearly complete. Sadly the Oklahoma storms did produce at least 4 fatalities, with first responders still sifting through mounds of debris as I write this post. 

The National Weather Service will investigate the damage from the weekend storms to determine the strength, but it is clear to many long time forecasters and storm chasers that some of these tornadoes were high end EF-4 or even perhaps an an EF-5, capable of winds in excess of  200mph (320 KM/H).

Brief cold snap followed by increasing warmth for Montreal

Graupel fell in Montréal late last Sunday evening as a strong cold front crossed the region. Graupel resembles both hail and snow, but is in a category of it's own. It is often called small hail, typically forming on the edges of the summer season in Montreal during October and April. It is very soft, non-destructive compared to hailstones and usually melts away very quickly.

Temperatures have been on a roller coaster ride this week, with a wide variety of associated weather. Last Sunday evening, we had a strong cold front cross the region, accompanied by thunder, lightning and even some graupel was observed. 

Graupel is often mistaken for hail and indeed has the nickname soft hail. But it often occurs on the edges of the warmer weather here in Montreal, during April and October, when a cold pool of air develops in the upper atmosphere. Graupel is basically a snowflake that has been coated with a supercooled water droplet. This type of frozen precipitation is typically small, less than 5mm in diameter, very soft and non-destructive compared to hail and typically melts very quickly.

The Sunday cold front resulted in a chilly, windy Monday in Montreal, followed by rapidly warming temperatures on Tuesday. The high Tuesday at Trudeau Airport was 19.5C (67F), after an early morning low that was close to the freezing point in many locations along with scattered frost.

The temperatures dropped just as quickly Wednesday morning after another strong cold front crossed the St. Lawrence Valley, falling from 10C (50F) at 9AM to 1C (34F) at 11AM. Along with the colder air came 15mm of rain and even a few snowflakes as the precipitation tapered off.

Looking ahead we have a couple of cold nights on tap to end the week, with sub-zero lows across the entire region, along with frost. Temperatures are expected to warm up considerably this weekend and into next week, with highs exceeding 21C (70F) by Monday. Conditions will be rather unsettled, with the risk of showers over the weekend and even a few thunderstorms next week.

Spring off to a typical slow start in Montreal

Some trees have responded to the 91mm of rain that have fallen so far in Montreal this April, while others have been slowed by the frequent cloud cover, chilly days and nights. This is typical April weather in Montreal. 

April can be a tricky month across North America, with mother nature having tremendous mood swings. There is no other month more volatile than April. It is a month that features snow and ice storms, thunderstorms, tornadoes, strong winds, wild temperature swings, and the start of wildfire season, often occurring in the same week. 

This is quite simply because there is no other month with such a wide range in temperatures across the continent. While winter holds on across the arctic, mid summer temperatures have entered the picture along the Gulf Coast. When these two air masses collide, action results. We witnessed that last week, with a high of 22C (72F) last Friday in Montreal, followed by plunging temperatures into the single digits on Saturday. 

This week, heavy snow fell in parts of the southern prairies, while severe thunderstorms and tornadoes were occurring across the lower Great Lakes and Ohio Valley. 

More of the same April action can be expected in the coming days. Montreal will be plagued by frequent frontal boundaries pinwheeling across the St. Lawrence Valley. The first produced about 7mm of rain on Thursday, along with chilly temperatures. We will warm up on Friday into the middle teens, before another front late in the day produces more showers along with gusty winds and dropping temperatures. 

The weekend will be cool, windy and unsettled. This trend will persist into next week. A very cool airmass arrives mid-week in southern Quebec, with highs struggling to reach 5C (41F), and overnight lows likely at or below freezing with some frost by Wednesday. 

While spring seems to be sputtering here in Montréal, it is nothing abnormal, the good news is that no snow is in our future, and May is just around the corner!

Final thoughts on the eclipse - wet week ahead for Montreal

Totality as viewed during the solar eclipse from Valois Bay in Dorval at 3:27PM Monday, April 8. (Valley Weather Photo)

After the brilliant warm sunshine of Monday and Tuesday, we have a rather stormy pattern on the way to end the work week. Low pressure will move north into the Great Lakes Wednesday, pushing a mild and humid airmass into southern Quebec. Showers and isolated thunderstorms will develop overnight along a warm front lifting into Montreal, gradually tapering off Wednesday. Another surge of moisture arrives Thursday into the early part of the weekend, with some moderate rain expected for the city. 

In all 20-40mm of rain is quite possible between tonight and Saturday morning. Depending on the breaks in the cloud cover we receive on Wednesday, temperatures may be quite warm. Highs are expected in the 16-20C (60-68F) range across the region Tuesday and Wednesday, before cooling sightly to 12-14C (52F-54F), with the rain Thursday and Friday. 

The eclipse underway over the St. Lawrence River in Dorval on Monday afternoon, accompanied by a spectacular halo. Halos around the sun occur when ice crystals are present in high altitude cirrus clouds. (Valley Weather Photo)

Final thoughts on the Great Eclipse

A few final thoughts on Monday’s full solar eclipse in Montreal. I was left breathless, it was emotionally spectacular to say the very least. The pictures I attempted to take with my iPhone, failed to capture what I was seeing. Others were more successful with their photos, it is certainly not where my strengths lie that is for sure. The event was like one big party in Montreal and all along the path of totality stretching from Mexico to Atlantic Canada.

I went down to Valois Bay along the Lakeshore in Dorval Monday afternoon to get away from the concrete jungle where our office is located. The spot was filled with families and people of all ages, languages and cultures, collectively enjoying the celestial magnitude of the day. 

Just as amazing as the eclipse was the blue and orange hues created during totality. This picture does not do any justice to Mother Natures handy work, the sky was absolutely spectacular. (Valley Weather Photo)

I was moved not only by the eclipse itself but by the conditions, patterns and hues the eclipse created in the lower atmosphere, i.e. the weather. The decline in solar radiation over the duration of the eclipse was notable, causing the temperature to fall from 17C (63F) before the eclipse began at 2:14PM in Montreal, to 14C (56F) by the time of totality. It would later rise back to the daytime high of 18C (65F) at 5pm.

An incredible photo showing the total eclipse in all it's splendor as seen from Knowlton, Quebec. At 3 minutes and 30 seconds, totality in Knowlton was more than double that of Montreal. Knowlton was located closer to the center of the 200 kilometre wide path of totality. (Ben Brousseau) 

Clouds were the main concern on Eclipse Monday. A warm front was lifting slowly across eastern Ontario into extreme southwestern Quebec. In the end, those advancing high altitude cirrus clouds produced some absolutely spectacular halos around the eclipsing sun. The halo was caused by the suns reflection off ice crystals in the clouds. While the clouds did add a veil to the eclipse, they did not lessen it in any way from my vantage point at least. 

I have been watching the skies since I was a child, interested in weather since shortly after I could walk, I must say I have never experienced a more amazing event in my lifetime. It lived up to the hype, and I am so grateful for having had the opportunity to view it. My only complaint was that one minute and thirty seconds of totality in Montreal, was just a little too short, I needed more!

Eclipse Day Monday!

Above, a partial eclipse taken from Arlington, Virginia in June 2021. The total eclipse in Montreal on Monday, April 8 will be absolutely spectacular, if we can only keep the clouds away. The path of totality will be visible to 43.8 million people across North America. (NASA Photo)

The show starts in Montreal at 2:14PM, reaches totality for 1 minute and 27 seconds in Montreal at 3:27PM, and finally ends at 4:36PM.

Try to take part in the moment. The last full solar eclipse in Montreal was in 1932, with the next total eclipse not occurring until July 2205.

Expect lots of traffic as people move around the region to view the eclipse. School are closed for the day.

There are many viewing events taking place in Montreal, including the main one at Parc Jean Drapeau.

The day millions have been waiting for is finally here, Eclipse Monday. The show will begin in central Mexico before racing across the central United States at 2400 km/h into southern Ontario and Quebec, finally exiting North America via Newfoundland. In all the eclipse will impact over 43.8 million people.

The eclipse will cover a 14,700 kilometre path across the Earth's surface, approximately 200 kilomteres wide. Your location within in the path of totality will determine how long you will be in total darkness. For Montreal, that will be close to one and half minutes, more southeast of the city and less in Laval and points north. Locations along the North Shore, the Laurentians and Ottawa Valley will only be seeing a partial eclipse.

Make certain you have proper eclipse glasses to safely view the celestial event. If not, enjoy the coverage provided by several websites, including NASA's coverage, which begins streaming at 1pm. CLICK HERE

The weather looks variable at best for many in the path of the eclipse across North America. In Montreal and the St. Lawrence Valley, high cirrus clouds will be streaming in ahead of a warm front by 1pm. That cloud will thicken and lower as the day progresses, possibly impacting visibility in Ontario and extreme southwestern Quebec. The hope is that dry air will prevail, and that the cloud cover will be very thin in Montreal between 2-4pm. Some of the best viewing locations anywhere along the path will be across northern New England, the Eastern Townships and New Brunswick.

Enjoy, be safe and remember protect your eyes.

Spring snowstorm hammers southern Quebec

Heavy wet snow turned spring into a winter wonderland across southern Quebec Thursday morning. Nearly 25cm of snow has fallen in the city since last evening. The storm closed schools, caused numerous accidents and knocked power out to nearly one million hydro customers across Quebec, Ontario, New England and the northeastern US.  (Valley Weather Photo)

A powerful storm, the combination of an upper level low spinning over the Great Lakes and a Nor'Easter over Cape Cod gave Montreal a heavy dose of spring snow. Coming in what has otherwise been an easy winter, 25cm of heavy wet snow fell accompanied by 70km/h wind gusts. The wind and snow knocked power out to over 280,000 Quebec homes and businesses.

The storm started as rain late Wednesday, but as the temperature dropped from a high of 10C (50F) to the freezing point in just a few hours, the rain turned to snow. There was even a few rumbles of thunder overnight. More snow fell over the last 24 hours than in the entire month of March in Montreal. Only 17cm fell last month at Trudeau Airport. The snow fell fast, with visibility under 1km for nearly 7 hours in Montreal

The snow was heavy and wet, playing havoc with Hydro-Quebec's power grid on the anniversary of last years significant April ice storm. Over 1000 separate outages affected nearly 300,000 customers at the height of the storm Thursday morning, including 80,000 on the island of Montreal. That number is down to 165,000 as of 3:45 pm.

Numerous school boards decided to cancel classes for the day. There were dozens of accidents during the early morning hours, including a jackknifed tanker truck that forced the closure of the westbound Trans-Canada at Sources for several hours. Many motorist had already removed their snow tire after a record warm March.

With at least 15cm of snow falling today, April 4, a new daily record was established dating back to 1885 when 14cm fell. The storm had far reaching impacts, dumping snow across Ontario, New York and New England. The snow will taper to flurries on Friday, with a slow warming and clearing trend over the weekend. Winds will remain gusty over the next 24 hours. out of the northeast at 30-50km/h.