Wicked windstorm sweeps province - calmer weather returns to Montreal

For the second week in a row, widespread damage was reported to the Hydro-Québec grid, resulting in outages to over 320,000 clients. Winds gusted to 120km/h in the southern part of the province. (Hydro-Québec)

A strong cold front associated with deep low pressure over central Quebec, produced a wicked windstorm across the southern portion of Quebec, stretching into eastern Ontario. Winds gusted between 90-120km/h on Tuesday, knocking out power to over 320,000 Hydro-Québec customers. That represented over 1 million Quebecers in the dark and cold. The outages stretched into eastern Ontario and northern New York.

As of 11:45AM Wednesday morning, the number of customers still without power is down to 22,000. Some of the remaining 390 breaks in the grid are the most difficult to repair, in isolated regions and involving the complete failure of poles or transformers. This was the second significant outage in less than one week, coming after last Wednesday's ice storm.

In addition to the widespread power outages, the fierce wind toppled several trees, many onto homes and cars. This vehicle was crushed on Patricia Avenue in the NDG sector of Montreal. (Météo Média)

The wind was relentless most of the day in Montreal, knocking down hydro poles, wires, tree limbs and causing structural damage to several properties. The damage extended across the southern portion of the province. The peak wind gust at Trudeau Airport was 94km/h. The barometric pressure at the airport bottomed out at an impressive 982mb in the wee hours Tuesday morning, an indication of the strength of both the storm and front.

Intense snow squalls and rapidly dropping temperatures made travel challenging on Tuesday. The temperature fell over 20 degrees in Montreal from late Monday into early Tuesday morning. (Valley Weather)

Accompanying the wind, was periodic snow squalls, that made travel at times difficult, resulting in several serious accidents,  especially towards Quebec City and along Highway 401 northeast of Lake Ontario.

High pressure is moving into southern Quebec on Wednesday morning, accompanied by clearing skies and lighter winds. Temperatures were very cold Wednesday morning, dropping into the minus teens, including -13C at Trudeau Airport. 

The balance of the week will feature calmer weather, still some light snow Thursday, but no major storms are on the horizon at this through the weekend. Temperatures will warm back above the freezing point for daytime highs, so some liquid precipitation is possible as well.

Spring arrives on Friday, March 20. Let's hope winter retreats quietly, we could all use a break.

Widespread power outages caused by strong winds

Fierce southwest winds are blowing early Tuesday morning, gusting up to 90km/h at times. The winds have been causing widespread power outages, as well as knocking over signage and tree limbs. Blowing snow is also an issue in open areas. The winds should ease late this afternoon. (Valley Weather)

Wind warning posted for metro Montreal and southern Quebec.

The strong winter storm responsible for all the weather over the last 24 hours has swept a cold front across the Montreal region overnight. Behind the front, powerful southwest winds are gusting to 90km/h across the St. Lawrence Valley, and up to 120km/h in other parts of the province. 

Those winds knocked out power to more than 240,000 Hydro-Quebec customers as of 7:45AM, including 25,000 in Montreal. There are 902 individual breaks at this time, and with winds as strong as they are currently, restoration times are not available. Hydro-Quebec has 1100 workers addressing the outages.

Temperatures have been falling rapidly as well, from near-record highs of 14C (56F) on Monday afternoon, to current readings of -2C (29F), They will continue to drop to -8C (18F) by late in the day. Light rain changed to flurries around midnight, so there are some icy spots around. More snow flurries will move into the region this morning, along with some significant blowing snow in open areas.

Winds should ease back to 30-50km/h later this afternoon.

Use extreme caution today when travelling, especially walking. These winds are capable of knocking over signage, trees and power lines.

Montreal to remain on the warm side of powerful storm

A clipper system on Saturday brought a little more snow than expected, with nearly 15cm falling on the Montreal region.

Windy weather, with mixed precipitation and rapidly changing temperatures forecast for the next 24-36 hours across the Montreal region.

A late season winter storm located in northern Illinois Sunday afternoon, will strengthen rapidly as the center moves into the central Great Lakes and eventually western Quebec on Monday. Montreal will remain on the warm side of the storm, with mixed precipitation, strong winds and warming temperatures.

The winter that just won't end produced another shot of snow Saturday, leaving roads slippery from Montreal to Cornwall and north to Ottawa. (Photo: Cornwall & Seaway Valley Road Reports)

A warm front associated with the storm is lifting northward across our region Sunday afternoon, with a burst of snow. The snow will be short-lived, with perhaps 1-2cm at most locations. Temperatures will begin to warm rapidly overnight on strong south winds, gusting up to 60km/h at times. Montreal should reach 5C (41F) by sunrise, with a high of 14C (56F) expected on Monday. The warmth will not last long, with a very strong cold front arriving late in the day. That front will be accompanied by gusty winds, heavy rain, possible thunderstorms and rapidly dropping temperatures.

As temperatures drop behind the cold front Monday night, any leftover rain will change to snow across southern Quebec. Several centimetres are possible by Tuesday morning. Roads may be slippery for the Tuesday morning commute. The temperature will fall up to 20 degrees over just a few hours, with morning lows down to -5C (23F) in Montreal. The high Tuesday will be steady around -5C, with strong west to northwest winds, flurries and blowing snow. Tuesday night will be cold, dropping to -13C (9F).

This storm is having far-reaching impacts, including an historic blizzard from Iowa and Minnesota into Wisconsin, upper Michigan and central Ontario. Some locations around the northern Great Lakes may see as much as 75cm of snow. A swath of freezing rain to the east and south of the snow will result in 15-25mm of ice accretion. In addition to the snow, winds wrapping around the deep low pressure, will reach over 100km/h, with some locations near Lake Superior expecting gusts to hurricane force.

In the warm sector, heavy damaging thunderstorms and tornadoes are expected from the Ohio Valley and Midwest into the deep south.

More snow on the way for Montreal - warmer air Monday

Many have expressed frustration with the weather warnings issued on Wednesday. In truth the storm wobbled a little to the northwest, allowing lighter precipitation along with slightly warmer air into Montreal. The difference in Montreal receiving the full 30 or 40mm of freezing rain versus the 15-20mm that fell, was too close to risk. In the end, forecasters aired on the side of caution in an effort to keep people safe. Even with that, over 250,000 customers lost power between Ontario and Quebec. There were also numerous accidents reported on icy roads. (Hydro One Photo)

Power remains out Friday morning to around 10,000 Hydro-Quebec customers as a result of Wednesday's freezing rain. On Thursday, gusty winds up to 70km/h along with snow flurries and squalls made the day rather raw and cold for many. While Trudeau Airport reported a trace of snow, I had a least 1cm on my driveway Friday morning, the result of quick moving squalls late last evening.

March as previously explained, can be one nasty month as the seasons wage battle. We will experience that battle once again this weekend, with two systems impacting southern Quebec. High pressure will briefly clear skies out Friday, with temperatures near 0C (32F). Temperatures will remain steady over the next 24 hours, as low pressure skirts along the international border.

Clouds will increase Friday afternoon, followed by 5-10cm of snow across the region from eastern Ontario into southern Quebec and northern New York. The snow will taper off Saturday, along with increasing gusty winds, in the 30-50km/h range. As the winds pick up again, watch for any falling ice off trees and other structures.

Sunday will be fair for the most part, before clouds increase as a strengthening late winter storm moves across the central Great Lakes into northeastern Ontario. This time Montreal will be on the warm side of the storm. Expect a messy mix of precipitation late Sunday night, changing over to rain on Monday. High temperatures will warm quickly on Monday, reaching 13C (55F), along with strong southwest winds up to 60km/h.

As quickly as the temperatures rise, they will fall again on Tuesday well-below freezing. Any leftover precipitation will change to snow before ending. We will have weather whiplash as the low Tuesday night is expected to be in the minus teens, close to 30 degrees colder than Monday afternoon.

More wintry weather on the way - thousands without power across southern Quebec

Trees and power lines strain under the weight of ice in Senneville on Thursday morning. (Valley Weather)

Many schools are closed for a second day across southern Quebec, the result of strong winds, icy conditions and widespread power outages. Temperatures nudged above the freezing mark overnight, allowing for some of the more than 13mm of freezing rain to melt in parts of the Montréal region.

The freezing rain was replaced by strong west winds, at times over 70km/h. That has played havoc with the power grid, already compromised by ice and tree branches coming in contact. As of 9:30am, Hydro-Québec is reporting 212,000 customers without power, 757 separate breaks in the system. That includes 28,000 on the Island of Montréal and 85,000 in the Montérégie. As with most large power interruptions, the utility is not offering restoration times, but does say they have 900 crews in the field, close to 2000 workers.

Hydro-Québec is responding to more than 700 breaks in the system Thursday morning, with 2000 workers. Power is out to more than 208,000 customers. (Hydro-Québec)

The storm itself is off to our east after dumping 15-25mm of freezing rain in most locations. Montreal had less than forecast, but it was enough to create problems on the road, at the airport and as mentioned with Hydro. A swath of heavier freezing rain impacted the Ottawa Valley and the lower Laurentians. Further north heavy snow and ice pellets fell. Thunder and lightning even occurred with the freezing rain during the midday hours in Montréal.

For Thursday, strong winds will continue to be a problem along with scattered snow showers as a cold front crosses the region. Our high temperature for the day has been reached, with the mercury lowering to -3C (27F) by the end of the day, and -8C (18F) overnight.

Thankfully less freezing rain occurred in Montreal than forecast, with amounts ranging from 12 to 25mm. This amount was still enough to cause problems with the power grid. The track of the storm wobbled a little to the northwest, allowing for less precipitation in Montreal and a later start to the precipitation. (Valley Weather)

MORE SNOW!

On Friday, clouds will increase ahead of our next storm system. More wintry weather is on tap as an Alberta Clipper skirts along the St. Lawrence Valley Saturday. Snow will develop overnight Friday and continue into Saturday, with 5-10cm expected for Montreal. Gusty winds will accompany the snow, creating areas of blowing snow. We get a brief break in the weather Sunday, before a much larger and complicated storm takes aim at us late Sunday into Monday. This storm will bring with it much warmer temperatures, with a messy mix of precipitation changing to rain across southern Québec. More on that in future posts.

Stay safe today as roads and sidewalks are slippery and ice is falling from trees and structures.

Windy, icy day ahead for southern Quebec

Freezing rain is forecast to last several hours today in Montreal, with 20-30mm expected. Amounts over 15mm usually start to impact power lines and trees. Expect travel delays as well.

Freezing Rain Warning in effect for Montréal, the St. Lawrence Valley and Ottawa Valley.

A wide area of freezing rain is expanding over eastern Ontario early Wednesday, expected to arrive in Montreal during the morning hours.

Most schools are closed and municipalities and Hydro-Quebec have mobilized ahead of an expected ice storm Wednesday. Low pressure will move from Illinois into upstate New York later today. Precipitation has been slow to arrive in Montreal, with scattered freezing drizzle being observed. The heavier precipitation arrives mid-morning, with 20-30mm of freezing rain expected by evening.

Temperatures have fallen below freezing in Montreal, currently -1C (30F), and will remain there all day. Warmer air will briefly arrive this evening, before cooling once again on Thursday.

Gusty northeast winds of 30-50km/h will back to the west and southwest tonight and increase 50-80 km/h, which will not help the power situation.

This is a dynamic system, with very warm air just to the south of us, and cold arctic high pressure to the northeast. Montreal is on the dividing line between the two airmasses. The trailing cold front has been responsible for widespread thunderstorms and tornadoes across parts of the central Untied States.

Some thunder may even sneak into parts of Ontario and extreme southern Quebec later today.

Significant freezing rain event for Montreal on Wednesday

This event looks quite similar to the April 2023 storm that knocked power out to 1 million Hydro-Quebec customers for up to 5 days. Between 30-40mm of freezing rain fell during that storm. (Valley Weather)

STORM UPDATE...

Freezing Rain Warning for the Montreal region for 20-30mm of frozen precipitation.

Freezing rain is forecast to start overnight and change to rain late Wednesday. There is still a chance the system could pass just to our west, allowing slightly warmer air to arrive, resulting in more liquid than frozen precipitation for Montréal.

An Orange Level weather warning has been issued by Environment Canada for a large portion of southwestern and western Quebec including the metro Montreal region. This is the first orange warning for Montreal since the new colour code system was introduced in late November.

For Montreal, the forecast and impact levels are high, but there is still some questions that remain regarding surface temperatures. Strengthening low pressure will develop over the midwest United States on Tuesday, moving towards the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Valley. At the same time a backdoor cold front will slip south of the Montreal region late today, allowing colder air from the north to filter into the region. Winds will shift from the south to northeast, and gust to 40km/h.

Precipitation from the storm system will begin to override the cold air at the surface later tonight, with showers eventually changing to steady freezing rain after midnight. After a daytime high close to 10C (50F) on Tuesday, Montreal will drop to 0C (32F) by midnight. Winds will shift form the south to northeast, gusting up to 40km/h at times. Temperatures will remain near the freezing point on Wednesday.

Freezing rain will persist into Wednesday across the greater Montreal region and especially the Ottawa Valley. Temperatures may rise above freezing from Montreal south allowing the freezing rain to changeover to plain rain Wednesday afternoon. The rain may be heavy at times. A total of 25-50mm of moisture is available with this system.

The temperature profile will be very close to the freezing point, with a range of precipitation types possible across the metro region. Another factor will be the warm temperatures that have preceded the storm. This may allow road surfaces to remain just wet, while ice builds up on elevated surfaces such as bridges, trees and power lines, as it did in April 2023.

The setup looks very similar to that of the April 2023 Ice Storm, that cut power to over 1 million Quebec homes and businesses, some for up to 5 days. The storm also did tremendous damage to trees and cars.

Expect power outages and travel delays on Wednesday.

Precipitation will taper off to flurries on Thursday, as temperatures drop significantly behind the storm.