Rainy, icy week ahead for southern Quebec

Despite Monday's hint of spring across the Montreal region, we are looking at the risk of more wintry weather in the form freezing rain on Tuesday. 

Special Weather Statement issued for Montreal, southern and western Quebec as well as eastern Ontario and the Ottawa Valley for a messy mix of rain and freezing rain Tuesday.

Spring weather is really at a premium across Southern Québec this March, and with April set to start, there is really no change in sight. A series of low pressure systems will guarantee a wet and at times white or icy mix this week. For Montreal, Monday will be spectacular. Southwest winds will deliver milder air, with a very springlike high of 14C (56F) forecast. That is the good news. The bad news is the warmth lasts a day. 

Arctic high pressure well north of Montreal, will begin to bleed cold air south into the valley locations overnight, as winds veer to the northeast. Temperatures will fall quickly, as a frontal boundary lifts northward to lie close to the international border. Warm air overriding the cold air at the surface will result in a decent swath of precipitation. Depending on where you are in regards to the boundary, that will be either liquid or frozen.

Temperatures across southern Quebec and eastern Ontario will be a degree or two either side of the freezing point on Tuesday, with winds gusting to 50lm/h. In Montreal, I think we will have a messy mix of precipitation, with limited impacts on roads, primarily icing elevated surfaces. Precipitation amounts could be significant, with 20-40mm by Wednesday morning. Most of that should be in the form of plain rain. There is even the chance for a rumble of thunder Tuesday afternoon.

The weather pattern remains the same into Easter weekend, with several more low pressure systems producing widespread precipitation. The thermal boundary will remain tight, with mixed precipitation north of the front and rain along and south. Stay up to date on future forecasts as this is a changeable scenario, with plenty of moving parts.

Another ride on the temperature roller coaster for Montreal and southern Quebec

Salt trucks were out and about once again on Thursday morning, as yet another in a series of clipper systems brought snow and freezing rain to the Montreal region. (Valley weather Photo)

Thursday's low pressure and frontal boundary resulted in more mixed precipitation than originally expected and less rainfall, as temperatures were very slow to warm here in the St. Lawrence Valley. Out high was 3C (38F), well-below the advertised 10C. Such is often the case when a northeast wind is blowing in Montreal.

As far as precipitation goes, we managed another 3-4cm of snow early followed by a couple of hours of freezing rain and eventually rain. The liquid precipitation amounted to 7mm at Trudeau Airport. Roads were a little slippery for the morning commute, but otherwise the impacts were minimal as the storm system was rather weak.

Temperatures fell rather quickly overnight into Friday morning, as a cold front slipped south of the region. The temperature fell from 2C (36F) at 1am, down to the current reading of -7C (19F). Add to that a gusty northwest wind of  40km/h and windchills are in the middle minus teens, way too cold for late March!

In what many hope was the last snowfall of the season, Thursdays weak storm system brought 3 to 5cm of fresh snow to the Montreal region. The monthly total at Trudeau Airport stands at 33cm, with a seasonal total of 212.8cm (83.8 inches) to date from November 1st to March 26th. (Valley Weather Photo)

Our region remains of the northern edge of a large dome of high pressure that has resulted in scores of record temperatures established across the central and southern United States. Phoenix has had eight consecutive days of 100F (37C) plus temperatures. Prior to 2026, they had only had one such day in March. The heat has pushed all the way north into the Ohio Valley, but remains just south of our region.

Southern Quebec remains below normal for late March, along with weak low pressure, one after another bringing us light amounts of precipitation. The end result has been a rather cool, damp month, with 38.9mm of rain and 33cm of snow.

I wish I could say the first week of April will be different, but the trend looks the same. After a cold weekend, we can expect temperatures to be on the rise Monday into Tuesday, with more shower activity. We may see highs as warm as 15C (59F) by Monday. Unfortunately, that will be followed by another cold front, more northeast winds, flurries and a high of only 2C (36F) on Tuesday. 

There is some indication that this pattern may finally break by the second week of April, with more substantial and longer lasting warmth settling into Montreal. Time will tell, but for now the pattern remains the same, the temperature roller coaster ride nobody wants to be on.

Winter just won't leave Montreal alone!

Many contractors are working overtime, as winter carries on in Montreal. Close to 10cm of wet snow fell on Sunday across the region, making for slick travel. The snow also made for a very white annual St. Patrick's Day parade in Montreal. (Valley Weather Photo)

A series of weak clipper type systems will continue to impact Montreal during the upcoming week. This will result in unsettled, cool and damp weather across southern Quebec.

More snow fell Sunday, creating the usual nonsense on the roads. The snow has been part of a roller coaster ride this march that has seen mild days followed by storms. Another 10cm or so of wet snow fell Sunday, brining the monthly total to 30cm at Trudeau Airport. We have also added 35.3mm of rain and freezing rain to the mix.

The stormy days have been mixed in with almost springlike warmth, with the high of 14C. However we have also has a morning low of -19C this month. And so it goes in Montreal, it is spring but not really. The next two weeks look unsettled to say the least, with a similar pattern remaining. The coldest, stormiest weather in North America will be over eastern Ontario, extreme northern New England into Quebec and Atlantic Canada.

Heavy wet snow falls on Ile Perrot Sunday, March 22.

For Montreal, that means another week of below normal temperatures, with rounds of light rain mixed with wet snow through the upcoming weekend.

If it is warm weather you are looking for, record warmth has been spreading across the southwestern and central portion of the United States. On Sunday, temperatures soared to near 30C (86F) as far north as Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Sadly, that heat will not be coming to Montreal anytime soon.

More snow forecast for Montreal to welcome Spring

More snow is forecast for southern Quebec Friday and again late Sunday into Monday, as winter just won't let go. To date the city has measured just over 15cm of snow this March along with the wicked windstorm and significant freezing rain event. March weather can be a very volatile as a result of big swings in temperature over North America. (Valley Weather Photo)

Special Weather Statement for Montreal and Ottawa: A quick moving storm will accumulate up to 10cm of wet snow across the region Friday.

Spring officially arrives with the Vernal Equinox at 10:46AM Friday morning. Those who call Montreal home, know how difficult it can be for spring weather to actually arrive in our fair city. The date is meaningless most years, so why should March 2026 be any different. 

A clipper system on Thursday delivered light wet snow all day. There was very little accumulation, but just the presence of more snow made it feel damp and dull. Temperatures were much milder than Wednesday, rising above the freezing point to 2C (35F). 

Unfortunately more snow is on the way for Friday, as a stronger clipper type storm system crosses the Great Lakes and moves just south of the Montreal region. A swath of steady snow, heavy at times will develop north of the track over the Ottawa and Saint Lawrence Valleys. A decent 5-10cm of snow is expected over a 5 hour period or so. The snow will impact the Ottawa region in the morning and Montreal from mid-afternoon into the evening commute. Snow may fall at the rate of 2 to 3cm per hour, creating low visibility and slippery travel conditions.

The snow will be on the wet side, with high temperatures expected close to the freezing mark after morning lows around -6C (21F). Skies will become partly cloudy Friday evening, with a low near -4C (25F). Saturday should be fair and milder, with ahigh near 5C (41F).

Another storm is possible for Sunday into Monday, but there remains important details to work out regarding the final track and temperature. Stay tuned!

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.