Frigid cold settles into Montreal behind the snow

The clean-up from the first snowstorm of the season started in most municipalities last night. The crew shown above was removing snow in Pointe Claire this morning. (ValleyWX)

The first snowstorm of the season for Montreal and southern Quebec is in the record books. The metro region received 20 to 25cm (8 to 10 inches) of snow along with gusty winds up to 60km/h. As the snow tapered off on Wednesday, the wind and cold took over, with snow drifting across area highways. The temperature fell to -19C (-2F) this morning and has been rather slow to rise to the current reading of -15C (5F) at 2pm. Windchill readings have been in the lower -20s all day.

It was a long, difficult day for most commuters on Tuesday. Heavy snow, a lack of plowing, and not enough snow tires, created long delays on Montreal roads. (CBC)

The storm resulted in a snarling commute on both Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, as motorists struggled to adjust to the highly changeable road conditions. Numerous major accidents were reported across the southwest portion of the province. Highway 20 near Coteau-du-Lac was closed for a period early Tuesday due to accidents and cars in the ditch. Skies cleared on Thursday, but it remained frigid. The cold air will persist through the weekend, before moderating slightly next week. A few weak weather systems will bring some light snow late Friday and again Sunday night into Monday. Up to 10cm may be added to the current snow on the ground by Monday evening. Mild air will briefly move into the region next Tuesday, with a high near 0C (32F) forecast. The milder weather will be short-lived, with more cold air and snow arriving late next week. It looks like a cold and snowy holiday period across southern Quebec at this time.