East coast snowstorm brushes Montreal

Piling up the overnight snow along Cote Vertu in Saint Laurent Friday morning. (ValleyWeather)

A potent early season storm moving along the eastern seaboard has produced widespread snow across the St. Lawrence Valley overnight. Snowfall warnings remain in effect for Montreal, but should be dropped later this morning. As of 6am, I had measured 9cm on L'Ile Perrot, with 6cm reported at Trudeau Airport. Around southern Quebec, amounts vary from 20cm along the US border to less than 5cm north of Montreal. South of the border across northern New England, heavier snow has produced amounts between 20 and 30cm. Temperatures remain mild, and winds have been fairly light in Montreal.

Roads on my drive from Vaudreuil to St Laurent were snow covered but manageable. One thing I did notice was the failure for drivers to adapt to the road conditions. Speeds were way to high for the conditions. While there were a rash of minor accidents across southern Quebec, traffic is traditionally lighter on Fridays, so travel was slow but steady. The Ontario Provincial Police were reporting numerous accidents on Highway 401 between Kingston and the Quebec Border. Roads there are snow covered and slippery. South and east or Montreal, the snow is heavier, visibility is poor and roads are snow covered towards Sherbrooke and the Vermont border. Anywhere you travel today will be slow, so caution is advised.

The snow will be fairly light in Montreal for the balance of the day, with another 5cm possible. The high will be near -3C. Overnight tonight, expect more flurries with steady temperatures. Saturday will be mild, with a high near 2C. A potent cold front will arrive late Saturday, accompanied by some light snow and much colder temperatures. Next week will be cold in Montreal, with well below normal temperatures forecast.