Freezing Rain Warning

12pm Update: A Freezing Rain Warning has been issued for Metro Montreal and all of southern Quebec. A strong low pressure area is heading for the western portion of the province accompanied by snow and freezing rain. Precipitation will begin this evening in the Ottawa Valley and Eastern Ontario and spread east. Up to 5mm of ice is expected. Roads will become very slippery overnight. Tomorrow a strong cold front will produce some snow, gusty winds and snow squalls in the region.

Freezing Rain Warning : Eastern Ontario and Southern Quebec for tonight.

Winter Weather Advisory: New York, Vermont, New Hampshire for tonight.

Lake Effect Snow Warning: Lewis, Jefferson and Oswego Counties of central New York, beginning late Friday.

An intensifying low pressure area in northern Minnesota is forecast to move east and pass just north of Montreal on Friday. A warm front ahead of the system will be the focus for a prolonged period of freezing rain tonight into early Friday morning. As a result warnings have been issued for numerous regions surrounding Montreal, but for some odd reason not the city. (I imagine they will change that today just as they did on Monday morning). Conditions will deteriorate overnight with precipitation beginning after midnight and tapering off by noon Friday. Expect between 2 and 4mm of freezing rain along with a mix of ice pellets and some snow. Temperatures should warm above freezing later on Friday with any leftover precipitation changing to rain.

Behind the system gusty southwest and eventually northwest winds will develop between 40-70km/h on Friday. These winds will turn on the lake effect snow machine for the first time this season. Snow and blowing snow will move in bands off Lakes Ontario, Erie and Huron into central Ontario and western New York. The poor weather will affect the 400 and 402 in southwest Ontario as well as Interstates 81 and 90 in New York. Up to 30cm or 1 foot can be expected in the most persistent bands in places such as Goderich, Buffalo and Watertown.

In Montreal we are off to a cold start this morning at -8C at the airport and -10C on Ile Perrot. Compare that to Alberta this morning where Calgary has warmed to -2C and Edmonton -4C. Look for fading sunshine today as the cloud from next storm slowly thickens throughout the day. it will be chilly at -2C.