Happy Halloween

Halloween Update: Sunny and very warm, close to 12C at trick or treat time in Kemptville. Hard to believe 24 hours ago we were 3C and 48 hours ago we were 0C and recovering from a major snowstorm. Well it is now 15C with lots of warm sunshine & melting snow.

Happy Halloween
Please be safe today. The forecast looks great. It will be sunny and very mild today reaching 12C. This should quickly eliminate the remaining snow in Kemptville at the very least. Tonight for tricks or treats in most of Ontario and western Quebec, fair and mild. There will be just a chance of a shower as a weak cold front moves through, but it will be very slight and most areas will remain dry.

Is it really October?

"What happened to summer?"

I was driving back from dropping my daughter off at the school bus in Osgoode this morning when the image below caught my eye (farm on the left, snow and the rising sun). I had to remind myself it was October and not early December. It looked like a Christmas card. I also heard my first Christmas commercial on the radio, so I guess the gloves are off, or on depending how you view things.

With Halloween just a day away we are looking at big icy snow banks everywhere and still a few tree limbs on the ground for good measure. I had mentioned yesterday that about 15,000 hydro customers were without power, estimates were actually double that at 30,000 in Ontario and another 50,000 in west Quebec from the Nor'Easter. By the way that storm made it into the top 5 all time for October snowfalls for Ottawa.

Halloween at this time looks good, much milder and fair. It will turn cooler Saturday and Sunday, but no storms on the radar till at least the middle of next week, if not longer.

Congrats to the Phillies who won the World Series last night. It was a bizarre series with game five being cut in half and delayed 48 hours by that aforementioned Nor'Easter. Last note this morning, and yet another victim of the storm, a Wallaby is loose in North Grenville. The poor little guy named Wendell, went missing after a tree, heavy from the wet snow, fell over and knocked the fence down in his pen at Saunders Country Critters just south of town on the 44. The complete story can be found at this LINK

Wendell...

Photo from Saunders Country Critters

Snow tapers off

Update 12:30pm: We are still below freezing here in Kemptville with some of the snow slowly melting. Roads are drying out, but blowing snow is still a problem in open areas. Here is a brief summary of some snowfall amounts from the region as the clean up and restoration of power continues:

Brockville 18 cm
Embrun over 15 cm
Kemptville 15cm
Kanata 12.5 cm
Ottawa 10 cm
Russell 10 cm
Cornwall 10-12 cm

Wow! What a night across eastern Ontario. Heavy wet snow and strong winds in excess of 60km/h hit the region. The snow stopped a little after 2am in Kemptville with a good 15cm on my car and trees, a little less on the ground. Lots of ice this morning and still some blowing snow. There is plenty of tree damage visible in lots of places in town and across the rural areas. The fire department was kept busy here in Kemptville and also in Brockville overnight with numerous calls for power lines down and cars in the ditch. In all over 15,000 hydro customers were left in the dark in Ontario. Hydro One says it will take the balance of the day to restore power.

I am late with my blog update today because my Cogeco wire for my cable and Internet was ripped out of the side of the house by the weight of the snow and ice. The early season snow can be blamed on the strong Nor'Easter that is now northeast of Montreal. We were lucky with only 15cm as many areas to our south in NY had well in excess of 30cm. Above are some photos I took from Kemptville this morning, and I will provide a final summary of snow and rain totals later today.

Storm Update

Update 10pm: Just a quick update before bed, moderate snow continues to fall in the region with winds gusting to 50km/h. There are reports of scattered power outages from Kemptville to Brockville. KFD has been called out to several incidents tonight including power lines across the road at Limerick and County Road 20 and a small electrical fire at the Petro Canada in Kemptville. Wires continue to arc in the region with blue flashes lighting up the sky at times. Already 7cm has fallen in Kemptville. Next update will be early Wednesday morning...have a safe night and stay indoors off the roads.

One hours worth of snow in Kemptville....Photo taken at 6:45pm.

At 7pm in Kemptville it is snowing moderately with low visibility and several centimetres already on the ground. It is 0C and the winds are howling out of the north at around 50km/h. Travel is not recommended, roads are snow covered in the 416 corridor and points south and east. I have just watched the first snowplow of the season go by so they are out working hard to keep the roads open. Visibility will be the big factor for the next several hours as heavy snow is moving into the region and winds are increasing.

Winter Storm Warning

Above: Pennsylvania today, over a foot of wet snow has fallen, some highways are closed,
trees down and power out. Photo: justinbcarrier

A powerful early season winter storm is located over southern New England this afternoon and will move to lie east of Montreal tomorrow. A wide swath of precipitation is steadily moving north and west into North Grenville at this hour. The snow has started in Kemptville and winds continue to howl out of the north at 45km/h and as high as 65km/h in the area. The snow will become heavy this evening and tonight before tapering off on to flurries early Wednesday. Travel will become very difficult tonight and overnight as temperatures drop and winds increase. Avoid travel if possible till mid-morning tomorrow. Power outages have already been reported in the Ottawa region by Hydro One and Ottawa Hydro.

Winter Storm Warnings are in effect for the entire region with 15-20cm expected from Ottawa south towards Brockville and into the Adirondacks. Rain will mainly fall east of a line from Cornwall to Hawkesbury. Precipitation will taper off quickly west of Kingston

In the lee of the Great Lakes the snow machine will turn on and squalls are expected tonight and tomorrow on very strong northwest winds. Up to 15cm is expected there as well and warnings are in place. More details later tonight.............

Storm Update

1pm UPDATE: A brief break in precipitation in Kemptville for the next hour or so as a dry slot moves through. Rain and snow will begin again and become heavy later today. The pressure continues to fall and we are now down to 2C in Kemptville from 5C earlier today and winds are north at 35km/h.

Update: The watch has been upgraded to a Winter Storm Warning as of 11:00am for Kemptville and surrounding areas. Look for 15-20cm of wet snow begining this evening.

Current Accu-Weather Radar (blue is snow) and

the ground crew rolls out the tarp last night in the 6th inning. Photos: Accu-Weather and AP

The Nor'Easter forecast to hit our region today is just north of New York City at this hour. A wide swath of heavy precipitation is falling from northern Pennsylvania into southern Quebec and Eastern Ontario. It is currently 4C in our area with a steady rain and increasing north winds blowing at 30km/h.

Look for rain to continue in our area all day and gradually change to wet snow by the supper hour. Snow has been falling in many portions of New York State at upper elevations with as much as 10-15cm reported already.

• Game 5 of the World Series in Philadelphia was also a victim of the storm - suspended last night in the 6th inning with the Phillies and Rays tied at 2-2. The rain and wind was just too much to continue playing. They will try to resume it tonight. It was the first time such action had to be taken in the history of the World Series.

Major Snowstorm for Ontario/Quebec

So much for being eased into winter this year. With nothing more than a flake falling in Kemptville to date, we are about to get a major snowstorm. Low pressure, a strong Nor' Easter developed last night near Cape Hatteras, and has lifted towards the New Jersey coast this morning. It will continue to move north towards Montreal today while intensifying rapidly. An area of rain as already started this morning in our region. The rain will become heavy as the day moves along and will change to snow in Kemptville and points west by sunset tonight. The snow will be heavy and wet overnight and taper off by morning. Expected accumulations in Kemptville will be around 15cm. More snow is expected just to our west and at higher elevations with less to our east towards the Quebec border. In addition very strong winds of 50-70km/h will develop rapidly today with this storm and will only die down early Wednesday.

This is a dangerous storm due to it arrival in late October. You should cancel all travel plans till mid-day Wednesday if you are going south or east. If heading west, due so early today. West of Kingston precipitation from this system will end rapidly with little more than a flurrie expected in Toronto. East of the area it will be a heavy rain event in Montreal with only a couple of centimetres towards the end of the storm.

Winter Storm Watch: Eastern Ontario
Winter Weather Advisory: St. Lawrence Valley of NY
Winter Storm Warning: Adirondacks
Heavy Snow Warning for western Quebec north and west of Montreal

Winter Storm Watch

UPDATE 3:50pm: Winter Storm Watch (see below) for Kemptville, Brockville, Leeds & Grenville, Ottawa and the Valley, SD & G and Renfrew.

The National Weather Service in Burlington, Vermont has issued a Winter Storm Watch, the first of the season for the Adirondacks and St. Lawrence Valley. The early season snow is expected to overspread the area on Tuesday and become heavy overnight before tapering off on Wednesday. Right now forecasters are expecting 15-25cm of wet snow, more in the mountains less in the valley's. Low pressure will organize rapidly near Cape Hatteras tonight and race north to near Montreal by Wednesday morning will intensifying. This puts eastern Ontario and northern New York in the focus for the heaviest precipitation and strongest winds.
Most of Quebec meanwhile will be on the slightly warmer side of the storm with more heavy rain forecast for Montreal. Another 25-50mm may fall on top of the 50mm that fell over the area this weekend. Winds will howl out of the northeast at 40-70km/h with this storm.

Be advised travel may become very poor across the entire Montreal, Ottawa, Kingston corridor late Tuesday and overnight.

This was just issued from Environment Canada....

Winter Storm Watch... Merrickville -Wolford - Kemptville 3:50 PM EDT
Monday 27 October 2008 Winter storm watch for Merrickville-Wolford - Kemptville issued

The first Major snow storm of the season likely late Tuesday and Tuesday night.This is an alert to the potential development of dangerous winter weather conditions in these regions. Monitor weather conditions..Listen for updated statements.Humdinger may not be a scientific term but it may very well sum up the weather that mother nature has in store for eastern Ontario. It appears a noreaster will be born just off the North Carolina coast this evening then intensify rapidly tonight and Tuesday before slicing through southwestern Québec Tuesday night.In advance of this system an expanding area of significant rain will blossom across far eastern Ontario on Tuesday before changing to heavy wet snow in many areas by late afternoon or early evening.In a swath from Ottawa through Renfrew to Algonquin significant heavy snow will likely set in late Tuesday and continue into Wednesday morning. Snowfall accumulations in excess of 15 centimetres are likely before it tapers off during the day Wednesday.The rain will linger in the extreme east on Tuesday. From Cornwall to Hawkesbury. Where a rainfall warning is possible once the track of the heaviest rain becomes more certain. The rain will change to snow Tuesday night in this area.

Strong northwest winds of 50 gusting up to 70 km/h Tuesday night in combination with the snow will create hazardous driving conditions due to snow and blowing snow with low visibilities especially when the mercury edges just below the freezing mark. Also any residual leaves left on trees may create additional concerns of snow-laden limbs affecting power lines.

The storm track is still somewhat uncertain. Winter storm warnings and rainfall warnings will be issued as deemed appropriate as the situation unfolds.

First Snowstorm?

VIA Rail in Ottawa yesterday had already moved

equipment into place for the first snow of the season

Hard to believe it but it is that time of year again. I have been reading with great interest some of the forecast discussions from the Burlington and Buffalo National Weather Service offices. It appears that the arctic front that went through the area last night, with thunder in Kemptville, is expected to stall along the Eastern Seaboard later today. Along it low pressure will develop off the Middle Atlantic states and move north across New England while rapidly intensifying. Deep Atlantic moisture will move inland across New England, New York, eastern Ontario and Quebec. It will fall as heavy wet snow in the mountains and at this time rain in the valleys, with very strong northeast winds. It would not take much change in temperature or the storm path for snow to fall at lower elevations as well. The storm is expected to move into the area late Tuesday and continue into early Wednesday before tapering off to showers or flurries. Be ready for difficult driving for that period in the area. I will update this potential storm later today.

Thunderstorms in Ontario

A severe thunderstorm warning has been posted for Kingston and Frontenac County. Severe thunderstorms have been rumbling across the province today along an arctic cold front. These storms have been producing gusty winds and numerous reports of hail. The most recent storms are poised to move into Leeds & Grenville within the next hour. Look for brief heavy rain, thunder and lightning and the risk of hail.

In the last several minutes thunder has been occurring here in Kemptville. Tonight's showers will add to the 52mm of rain that fell in the last 24 hours here in Kemptville. Much colder weather with the risk of our first snow are expected early this week.

Heavy rain moves east

A strong low pressure area was swirling across upstate New York today. I travelled the 416 corridor from Kemptville down to Ogdensburg, NY and then over to Brockville along the 401. It poured rain, torrential at times. The rain started at 8am this morning and as of 5pm, already 40mm had fallen here in Kemptville and it is still raining steadily. The low pressure center will continue to move away from the area tonight, with rain ending from west to east. The trailing cold front is about to blast its way through with winds gusting from 30-50km/h along and behind it well into Sunday. The cool air will gradually produce some flurries by late Tuesday, with the possibility of major lake effect precipitation to our south and west. In the meantime drive with great care tonight as winds will be gusty and roads will be slick, with heavy rain falling and water ponding on them. Anyone traveling into the snowbelts of Ontario and New York on Monday and Tuesday should follow the updated forecasts closely.

Rainy weekend ahead

UPDATE: Winds are apparently going to be a factor with this storm. Gale Warnings are being raised on Lake Ontario and a high wind warning is in effect for the Eastern Townships of Quebec. Elsewhere expect southwest winds of 30-50km/h with gusts to 80km/h in the valleys. Additional warnings may be needed Saturday.

A windy wet storm that has been drenching the US Midwest is moving into the Ohio Valley and the lower Great Lakes this afternoon. This system even produced heavy snow in the Rockies and western high plains.The storm will move across New York State this weekend and into New England. A swath of very heavy rain has already moved into southwest Ontario and will reach Kemptville by daybreak Saturday. From 15-25mm of rain is expected Saturday in our region with more showers for Sunday. A cold front will then move across Ontario and Quebec on Monday followed by a shot of very cold air and the threat of rain changing to snow by Monday night. Another storm system is forecast to develop along the east coast and may or may not affect our weather. It is too soon to know the exact impact of the second storm on our area but watch for updates over the weekend. In any event next week will be breezy and very chilly right through Halloween as expected.

SNOW in Ontario

Wet roads may have caused this serious accident this morning near Burritts Rapids.
Photos C. Hofley

The first snowflakes of 2008 are expected to fly across parts of Ontario today and tonight. Deepening low pressure near Brockville this morning will slide into New York Sate and across New England tonight and into early Wednesday. Steady rain has been falling in Kemptville since the wee hours of the morning and is expected to continue most of the day. It will mix with and gradually change to light wet snow from west to east as the day moves along. Look for little accumulation in the big centres but as much as 5cm in the hilly rural regions south and east of Ottawa and into southern Quebec, and also in the upper Ottawa Valley from Renfrew west.

A quick glance of the regional observations at noon is showing dropping temperatures on stiff north winds this afternoon. Temperatures are down below freezing in North Bay with light snow. In the south Peterborough is 1C while Toronto is only 4C. Winds are expected to increase in all areas 40-60km/h out of the north this afternoon. They are blowing at 61km/h at Cobourg.

Drive with great caution as roads are slick from the rain and wet leaves, and may become slippery anywhere snow falls. Already today KFD and Ottawa Fire were called to a serious accident (at right) on Donnally Drive and Dwyer Hill Road where a car left the highway and struck a hydro pole before landing on its roof. Slow down as the weather begins to turn.

Our first snowflakes

Canadian Geese crossing into New York Sate. Do they know something we don't?

All good things must come to an end, and so as I was watching the Red Sox loose last night 3-1 to Tampa Bay, my denial ended and I realized summer is now gone and winter is on the way. A big thank you by the way to Boston for the effort. I know only too well that familiar pain of loosing a Game 7. Anyone who has been a Red Sox fan for more than 4 years knows that feeling. So despite TBS and despite Tampa Bay, oh my the greatest team ever, the Sox will be back for another season next spring. Oh and one final note on the ALCS, I hope MLB never gives TBS broadcast rights to another series again. Enough said...

SNOWFLAKES? A strong cold front is just to our west this morning. It is forecast to move across the region today and tonight with 15-25mm of rain. As the front crosses the area and moves into Quebec, gusty northwest winds will develop and temperatures will lower to the single digits. There is a good chance of flurries from mid-morning towards the end of the day on Tuesday. No accumulation is expected, in Kemptville, Ottawa or Montreal, but just seeing the snow will be depressing enough! It is still looking like the end of this month and beginning of November are going to be very cold. Computer models are hinting at snow around Halloween. It is still early, but definitely worth keeping an eye on.

Thank You Boston

Ortiz magic at Fenway last night

500th POST*

Warning non weather rant... How appropriate I thought for my 500th posting. I thought I would write a thank you letter to the Boston Red Sox for a great season. How we fell just a little short this year, you know out played by a better team in the Tampa Bay Rays, injuries to key players, etc etc. Then the 7th, 8th and 9th innings happened last night and the unimaginable is occurring this morning, I am thanking them for another miraculous October comeback. I will let the sports blogs deal with the details but we chopped our way out of the grave last night to beat the Rays 8-7 after trailing them 7-0. Not sure how much more I can take but thank you Boston for departing Fenway on such a high note. And like previous comebacks, if it falls short, you still showed the guts and determination that has made me a loyal fan since the late 70's.

• Oh and how about the weather. This morning was very chilly in Kemptville and the region. We are currently at 0C and another hard frost occurred. The ground is white and the leaves are really beginning to tumble. This weekend will be sunny and cool but very pleasant for outdoor activities. Next week will be chilly with rain and even the hint of a flurrie or two is not out of the question.
• Hurricane Omar developed rapidly and surprisingly this week and ballooned into a Category three storm before skirting the lesser Antilles and coming back down to a Tropical Storm this morning. There was serious damage but so far no reports of loss of life. Omar will drift north well east of Bermuda today.

*don't add up the bottom, two posts were deleted over the years...

Saskatchewan snow pictures

My good friend and former boss, Editor of the Gravelbourg Tribune, Paul Boisvert, sent me some pictures from Willow Bunch, Saskatchewan, close to the Montana border. The area was hit with 20-30cm of wet snow Sunday night. The photos were taken Monday morning. Snow totals are listed in the entry below.

Election Day Weather

Get out and VOTE today! I don't care who you vote for, just do it, too many people made great sacrifices to give us this right.

The weather coast to coast will be ideal with a few notable exceptions. The southern parts of Saskatchewan still have icy roads and they are snow packed in some cases, caution advised. It will be windy on the Pacific coast and showery with increasing winds in southern and eventually eastern Ontario. Drive safe.....

The snow totals for the western storm this past weekend were very impressive:

Valley, Montana: 33cm

Assiniboia 30cm

Opheim, Montana: 30cm

Rockglen: 20cm

Moose Jaw: 20cm

Regina: 17cm

Parts of central Montana had nearly 100cm of wet snow.

Warm in Ontario/Quebec

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

If you are in the east you are enjoying a very warm day. Temperatures exceeded 20C yesterday in many parts of Ontario and Quebec and will do so again today and Tuesday before it cools down by the end of the week. A few showers are occurring around Montreal this morning along a warm front, but they will be short in nature and sun will return this afternoon.

Meanwhile western Canada continues cold. Regina has reported 17cm of snow with much more towards the Montana border. Temperatures remain below freezing with flurries and icy roads. Numerous accidents were reported along with a fatal collision near Yorkton. RCMP are not advising travel along the Trans Canada east of Regina. In Manitoba it was heavy rain that fell, with 25-60mm observed. Across the high plains and Rockies as much as 100cm of wet snow fell with many roads closed and power outages reported. The storm was fed with moisture from the remains of Pacific Hurricane Norbert that came onshore in Mexico. Norbert, once a category 4 hurricane dissipated rapidly after landfall, but fed the tropical moisture northwards into very cold air. The snowstorm this morning is weakening over Manitoba.

Saskatchewan Storm Update

A winter storm continues to dump heavy snow across Montana and is extending north into Saskatchewan at this hour. Winter Storm Warnings are in effect for the south central and southeast part of the province.

A quick scan of observations showed all locales in SK. under the freezing mark this morning with snow beginning to fall in the southern most areas near the US border. I expect nearly 20cm of snow by storms end from Gravelbourg to Estevan. Close to 30cm may fall in Coronach and Rockglen. Avoid travel in Southern Saskatchewan today. Already over 20cm have been reported in Northern Montana with close to 50cm in the mountains and southern part of that state. Numerous roads are closed. Winds are very gusty creating blizzard conditions at times.

Tale of two Seaons

A flock of Canada Geese fly south along the shores of Lake Champlain and in the shadow of a near full moon. The Green Mountains of Vermont are in the background. I took the photo at sunset today.

What a day here in Ontario and Quebec. I spent the day in upstate New York along Lake Champlain. The area recorded high temperatures of around 20C with even warmer temps to our west. On Sunday and Thanksgiving Day we can expect more brilliant sunshine and highs even warmer between 22 and 23C

SNOWSTORM: Meanwhile, Winter Storm Warnings have been posted for southern Saskatchewan for tonight and Sunday. Expect snow and very strong winds to spread north from Montana into the province tonight and continue Sunday. Forecasters are expecting 15-20cm of snow in the region from Gravelbourg and Assiniboia east towards Estevan. The snow is expected to pile up close to 30cm in Montana. Travel is not recommended tomorrow south of the Trans Canada Highway and across Montana west towards Wyoming.

I expert some of this colder weather to find its way east by the end of next week and beyond. More on that later....be safe and enjoy the weather in the east.

Happy Thanksgiving

Winter Storm Watch

Gravelbourg, Sask. on Thanksgiving 1998

Now that I have your attention lets clarify that a little...snow in the west, record warmth in the east all from the same low pressure area. A powerful winter storm is taking shape in the Rockies and will move northeast to southern Manitoba. East of the storm center warm air will push northward and bring temperatures in the 20's to Ontario and Quebec. Along the path heavy rain and thunderstorms will occur in Manitoba, and finally west of the track in southern Saskatchewan, heavy snow and blowing snow late Saturday and Sunday. A Winter Storm Watch is in effect for Montana with a Special Weather Statement for Saskatchewan.

Current indications are that 20-30cm of snow may fall with temperatures at or below freezing. Northeast winds of 30-50km/h will blow the snow around and produce near blizzard conditions Saturday night in areas south of the number 1 towards northern Montana and western North Dakota. This is not the first time snow has fallen in October. My experience living in Saskatchewan was that the biggest storms occur on the fringes of the seasons, October and May. In 1998 on Thanksgiving weekend a big storm dumped over 30cm on Gravelbourg where I was living. I was in Moose Jaw heading south in a heavy rain and thunder along Provincial Highway 2 to Sask 43. By the time I reached Gravelbourg it was snowing & windy and by Sunday morning 20cm of wet snow had brought down trees and power lines. I took the photo above old school, with black and white film on my Canon 35mm while working for the Gravelbourg Tribune. I even developed the film and made the print myself. Anyway more info on this upcoming storm later today.

Ontario and Quebec will be sunny and warm all weekend. However a very impressive cooling trend is in order by the end of the month with a very cold November forecast. Keep that in mind as you enjoy this weekend and prepare for this coming winter.

Warmer - Showers

The Arctic high pressure responsible for our frost the last two mornings will slide east of the region today allowing warmer & humid air along a warm front to move in. After showers this afternoon and overnight tomorrow will clear before a spectacular Thanksgiving Weekend descends upon us. It will be sunny with temperatures in the low twenties all weekend.
It was -1C this morning in Kemptville with a widespread hard frost. It has since warmed to 17C a temperature range of over 30 degrees F.

First SNOWSTORM? For any of my western readers, those in Gravelbourg and southern Saskatchewan specifically, it looks like the first winter storm of the season may be on tap for the weekend. A deep trough of low pressure along with surface low pressure near Colorado and cold air from the north may combine to produce snow and wind Saturday and Sunday. It is early yet, but just keep it in your thoughts and watch for updates. I have a link for Saskatchewan weather on the left.

This is my 200th post for 2008....thanks so much for reading and commenting. I appreciate you taking your time to read my relentless rant about the weather.

This morning we have frost. It appears to be widespread in North Grenville. The temperature hit -0.8C at 7am this morning. Above is my traditional picture of the first frost date, or at least scraping date! By the way I could not find my scraper, not cool for a weather dude.

A couple of notes this morning:

• My Red Sox advanced last night with 9th inning heroics from rookie Jeff Lowrie and Canadian Jason Bay to defeat the Angels 3-2 and 3 games to 1 in the series. They now face Tampa Bay in the ALCS beginning Friday.

• Tropical Storm Marco is sliding into rain soaked Mexico at this hour. The storm does not pose a threat to the US but will give heavy rain, flooding and mudslides to Mexico.

• Finally KFD and Merrickville Fire Departments were called to a major fire on Craig Road at Donahue Road in Oxford Mills last night. One of the Advance reporters will look into it this morning, more details later.

Frost Warning

Environment Canada has posted a Frost Warning for most of southern and eastern Ontario and southwest Quebec. The areas being excluded are along the immediate shoreline of the St. Lawrence River such as Montreal, and also Metro Toronto and areas adjacent to the Great Lakes. Clear skies and calm winds will allow temperatures to drop to or below freezing in many regions tonight, with -1C forecast for Kemptville.

In all likelihood it will be a killing frost in many locations. It comes a little earlier than the last two years in Kemptville, which were closer to the 15th of the month. If you have anything left in your gardens, you may want to cover them up. High pressure will be in control most of this week with temperatures warming towards the end of the work week.

October Weather is here

It has been a damp and cool week with a stubborn upper level low stuck over the Great Lakes. Most of the shower activity has been to our south in New York, and there has even been a flurrie or two from North Bay across the upper Ottawa Valley at times.

This will be a perfect weekend for sitting by the fire place with a good friend, or checking out the spectacular fall colors, perhaps a trip to Saunders Farm in Munster for the opening weekend. Whatever you decide to do, bundle up for it. It will definitely feel like fall. Temperatures will be close to freezing each night with a damp, chilly high of 10 to 12C both days. The sunshine will increase as the weekend wears on, with Sunday being the better of the two days. This morning in Kemptville we were about 2C at sunrise with a heavy dew on everything. The leaves are turning quickly and falling in many cases. I hope everyone has a safe weekend, we certainly deserve it this week.

The oranges and reds are here!

The Reds and Oranges are out...the colors are spectacular in and around Kemptville

Greetings...It has been a hard week so far at so many levels, and it is only Wednesday morning. Weather has taken a back seat to start the week and it should never have to do that! This morning is overcast and grey in Kemptville and across eastern Ontario. Sadly it will remain that way right into the weekend. If there was any question that fall has arrived, this week will back that up. I have been one of those in denial, wearing shorts and refusing to turn on the heat. This week will reinforce the need for heat and pants! Temperatures will range from plus 1 to 5C at night and no warmer than 10 or 12c during the day. Showers will be off and on in the cool unstable air.

There will be plenty of showers and even the rumble of thunder around the Great Lakes as the cold air moves across the relatively warmer waters. It is usually the time for a waterspout or two as well, due to the tremendous instability created around the lakes in the fall.