Enjoy the mild weather, winter set to return

Toronto quarterback Ricky Ray, shown above, along with his teammates, the Calgary Stampeders and fans, battled steady snow Sunday night during the 105th Grey Cup in Ottawa. (TSN)

Despite the quick 5cm of snow that fell on the 105th Grey Cup Sunday in Ottawa, and across southern Quebec, it has been a mild week once again. In keeping with the last blog entry, the temperature roller coaster ride continues. There was no better example of this than the snow and biting cold Sunday and early Monday, followed by windy and warm weather Tuesday. On Tuesday, Toronto reached 17.1C (63F), Ottawa 11C (52F), remarkably after an early morning low of -13.7C (8F), and Montreal 6C (43F), after a low of -11.7C (10F). A series of weak weather systems will keep the temperature bouncing around through the first week of December. Expect the weather to remain fairly mundane in Montreal, with more clouds than sun and temperatures well above normal.

Cold weather is forecast to return to eastern Canada by December 10th. (AccuWeather)

Cold Weather Returns
There are strong indications that we will see a major pattern change by December 10th or so. Expect much colder air to return, and last through Christmas, along with frequent opportunities for measurable snow. The jet stream is expected to become more amplified, allowing storms to move slower, gain strength and gather moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean. The exact details are hard to pinpoint at this time, but temperatures will return to normal levels and eventually below normal in Montreal. This would put daytime highs well below freezing. There is a good chance of a snowstorm around the 11th of December and again near Christmas. The cold weather is expected to stay with us right through the end of December.