Damp and chilly spring so far

Plowing snow on Monday in some unlikely areas for late March, suburban Washington D.C.

Nobody in Canada, most of the US and even parts of Europe it seems is befitting form the fact that spring has arrived. We have settled into a gloomy period as we remain under a broad cyclonic flow pumping in clouds and occasional moisture from the Atlantic Ocean. There was some decent snow melt yesterday afternoon here in Montreal as the sun came out, but I really need all this to be gone. We need Spring! There are no signs of this pattern breaking down much before the upcoming Easter Weekend. Yesterday Montreal managed a milder 6C as some sunshine broke through the clouds. Less sun is likely today and there may even be some showers or flurries by this evening. The same is true for Wednesday, and with a northeast wind, it may even be a touch cooler in southern Quebec. Look for highs in the plus 3 to 6C (39 to 43F) range for Montreal this week with lows of -1 to -3C (25 to 30F).

On Monday a storm system passed well south of Montreal giving snow to some unlikely areas this late in the season. A general 2-4 inches fell across metro Washington D.C. into southern New Jersey and portions of Cape Cod. Across the mountains of western West Virginia and Maryland as much as 16 inches fell. It should be Cherry Blossom season in Washington D.C., but they are nowhere to be found and not expected to bloom until early April.  That system is east of Cape Cod this morning and not expected to have a direct impact on Quebec. The flow around the storm however will produce some snow across the Gaspe today with as much as 10cm across higher elevations.