Mild Friday - colder weekend

What a crazy week it has been and as I write this I have one ear on WBZ radio in Boston while I try to compose the blog. Lets hope this ends soon. Boston Strong, hang in there.

Major flooding has occurred across portions of Illinois over the last 24 hours. (WGN)

In Montreal, Ontario and Quebec, temperatures will make a big swing from well above normal today to below normal for the weekend and well into next week. We start the day around 12C on our way to 20C, the warmest day of 2013. Temperatures around the area will be even warmer with strong south winds in the Richelieu and Champlain Valley pushing highs there into the 20's.

A strong cold front has been the focus for heavy rain and thunderstorms from Illinois into portions of Michigan and Ontario. Heavy rain has caused widespread flooding in the Chicago metro region. Rainfall warnings are in effect for a big chunk of Quebec but not here in Montreal. West of the low pressure area very cold air for April has produced another big snowfall from the Rockies across portions of Minnesota into northwest Ontario. Some of that cold air will help fuel thunderstorms for portions of Ontario today with the front arriving in Montreal tonight. Showers can be expected with temperatures falling to 5C tonight as the cold front moves through. The weekend looks chilly with showers or maybe even a snowflake Saturday and only 6C. Some sunshine and a little milder by Sunday up to 9C. Winds today will become gusty out of the southwest up to 60km/h across Ontario and into the St. Lawrence Valley.