Arctic outbreak to skirt southern Quebec

This very Canadian image of kids playing hockey on an icy Highway 40, east of Montreal, has gone viral. The children, along with hundreds of motorists, were forced into a long wait after a multiple vehicle accident closed the highway for several hours on Sunday. The video has been shared around the world by several major news organizations and on social media. I obtained the screenshot from CBC.ca

A fierce cold wave is underway across western and central Canada from southern Saskatchewan into Ontario. The extreme cold has forced the cancellation of schools and the closure of businesses across the upper Midwest, northern Plains and into the southern Prairies. Temperatures dropped into the -40s Wednesday morning, including -47C at Collins Bay, Saskatchewan. In Winnipeg, the temperature bottomed out near -40C, with windchill values in the -50s. The cold airmass is crossing over the much warmer Great Lakes, producing heavy snow in the lake effect snow-belts. In western New York, a blizzard warning has been issued for Jefferson and Lewis Counties, including Watertown, New York and the I-81 corridor. Interstate 81 is a well travelled route by Canadians heading south, but not in the next 48 hours. The forecast calls for as much as 3 feet of wind-driven snow, with temperatures near -18C (0F). Travel is not advised. Further west in Erie County, New York, a state of emergency and travel ban have been put in place. Some of that snow is drifting northeast this afternoon and affecting Highway 401 west of Cornwall towards Kington.

All across central Canada and the northern US, widespread cold and windchill warnings are in effect. Even locally windchill advisories are up for northern New York and Vermont. The arctic boundary will cross southern Quebec later today, with a few clouds, flurries and gusty west winds. The temperature will drop to -21C (-6F) in Montreal tonight, with windchills in the -30s. Sunshine is expected Thursday, along with strong west winds up to 50km/h, and a cold high of -15C (5F). The weather will remain cold into the start of the weekend, along with the chance for more light snow. Temperatures will warm up on Sunday and into early next week with the chance for snow, rain or freezing rain.

On Tuesday, the combination of a weakening clipper system and a coastal low, produced snow across southern Quebec. While amounts were less than expected, we still managed 10 to 25cm across the region. In Montreal, about 12cm fell, enough to create slow travel on slick roads.

New winter storm to impact southern Quebec & Ontario

Brief snow squalls on Sunday resulted in several major accidents in southern Quebec. The one above occurred on Highway 40 east of Montreal near L'Assomption. The crash involved over 50 vehicles. Thankfully only minor injuries were reported. (Photo: by Mario Labrecque via The Weather Network)

UPDATE: Special Weather Statement for 5-10cm of snow for metro Montreal.

The next in a series of winter storms is on the horizon for southern Ontario and Quebec. The storm will be followed by the coldest airmass of the season. First we have a very cold Monday on tap after the passage of an arctic boundary late Sunday afternoon. That front produced widespread snow squall activity, that brought zero visibility at times in bursts of heavy snow. The brief squalls resulted in two major accidents on area highways. The first occurred along Highway 640 near Rosemere. The second, involving at least 50 vehicles, occurred near L'Assomption on Highway 40. In the latter case, the road was closed for the entire afternoon while first responders helped the injured, and the damaged vehicles were removed.

After the skies cleared Sunday night, the temperature dropped rapidly in Montreal, down to -20C (-4F). As of late Monday morning, the temperature had only risen a degree to -19 (-2F). Our calm weather will be short-lived as another major storm is forecast to arrive early Tuesday. Low pressure will move across the Great Lakes, dumping steady snow from the upper Midwest into southern Ontario. A second storm is forecast to develop along the US east coast and move northeast towards Atlantic Canada. The combination of both lows will produce a wide swath of 10 to 20cm of snow across eastern Ontario and into southern Quebec. Gusty winds, up to 50km/h, will accompany the snow, producing areas of blowing and drifting. Travel will become difficult on Tuesday across a wide area including New England, New York, Ontario and Quebec. Numerous weather warnings and watches are in effect.

If that were not enough, once the snow ends on Wednesday morning, arctic air will pour into the region. Temperatures will drop into the minus 20s late Wednesday, with windchill readings in the minus 30s.

If you thought January has been rather difficult so far, you would be right. To date, Montreal has received 70cm of snow along with 40mm of rain and freezing rain. The wild temperature swings and thick ice have added to the miserable weather. In comparison, November and December combined only produced 55cm of snow.

Ice and snow create miserable January weather in Montreal

Heavy snow, freezing rain and rain have made a mess of Montreal roads this week. The latest problem on Thursday morning was massive amounts of standing water. Drivers had to negotiate the massive puddles on Cote-Vertu in Saint Laurent, shown above. Those giant lakes will freeze solid tonight as temperatures drop back below freezing. (Valley Weather Photo)

The second storm in less than a week has left Montreal under a layer of snow, ice and water. On Wednesday, 15cm of snow fell at Trudeau Airport, with over 20cm south of the St Lawrence from Ile Perrot to Cornwall. That brings the weekly accumulations up to 40 to 50cm of snow. On top of that, nearly 15mm of rain and freezing rain has fallen overnight. The snow on Wednesday created long commute times across the region as snow covered icy roads resulted in hundreds of accidents. Several roads were closed for a time, including Highway 20 near St. Zotique after two transports collided.

A dump truck took out a hydro pole in Pierrefonds early Thursday morning. Freezing rain and rain on top of 40cm of snow this week, have left roads in very poor condition. Motorists have had to deal with hundreds of accidents and many road closures. (Radio Canada Photo)

The snow changed to freezing rain overnight in southern Quebec, coating trees and power lines. Rain is falling this morning in Montreal, with the temperature just above freezing at 0.5C (33F). The heavy rain and melting snow has produced massive amounts of standing water, with flooding reported in many sections of the city. Freezing rain is still falling north of the city. The ice has created problems with the Hydro Quebec power grid, with over 20,000 customers in the dark from Montreal north into the Laurentians. The poor weather has also forced the cancelation of classes for most students across southern Quebec on Thursday. Most major school boards on the Island of Montreal have given students and staff the day off.

Colder weather returns
A cold front will cross metro Montreal this afternoon, changing any rain over to snow as the temperature drops below freezing. All this standing water will freeze solid overnight, creating new problems on area roads. The overnight low in Montreal will be a chilly -10C (14F), with a high on Friday of -5C (23F). The weather will remain windy and colder into the weekend, with scattered flurries. There is the chance for another storm early next week, but we will recover form this week first before we go into more details.

Warming trend brings heavy snow & freezing rain to Montreal

Another round of heavy snow across southern Quebec brought morning traffic to a standstill in Montreal. For the third consecutive day, area highways were snow packed with black ice everywhere. Transport Quebec reported dozens of accidents on and off the Island of Montreal. (Valley Weather Photo)

Snowfall Warning: Ile Perrot, Vaudreuil-Dorion & Valleyfield
Freezing Rain Warning: Southern Quebec
Winter Storm Warning: Ottawa Valley & Eastern Ontario

A strong warm front has been the focus for heavy snow this morning across southwestern Quebec. As of 11am, over 12cm had fallen here on Ile Perrot, with another 5 to 10cm possible this afternoon. The snow has made a mess of roads across metro Montreal, with many commuters taking over two hours to reach the city. Conditions continue to be very poor on area highways with Transport Quebec reporting numerous accidents across all regions of southern Quebec.

Precipitation will change over to freezing rain later this evening in Montreal and eventually rain overnight. The temperature has been rising very slowly here in the St. Lawrence Valley, up to our current reading of -10C (14F). If all goes as planned, the warm air should eventually win over, with temperatures rising above freezing late tonight here in the city. The high on Thursday will be near 5C (41F), reached early in the morning. A cold front will arrive in the afternoon accompanied by strong winds up to 60km/h. Any rain will change back to snow and continue into the evening hours. The temperature will fall to -1C (30F) by the evening commute.

Warming trend for Montreal but with more snow forecast

Road conditions were terrible across southwestern Quebec and eastern Ontario on Sunday. This snowplow hit the ditch along Highway 401 near Prescott, Ontario. (OPP East Region Photo)

The biggest snowstorm of the season to date is winding down across southern Quebec on Monday afternoon. The frigid, windy storm produced numerous accidents, some school closures, flight delays and power outages. The storm had far reaching effects, impacting Ontario to Atlantic Canada south into New York, New England and the US Midwest.

Light snow and blowing snow continues in Montreal Monday afternoon, along with bitterly cold temperatures. After a morning low of -22C (-8F), the best we have managed so far is -20C (-4F). The cold temperatures combined with a stiff northwest wind, are producing windchill values in the minus 30s. Sunday's snowstorm, while not the worst the city has seen, was the coldest in almost a century for Montreal. The last time is was this cold during a major snowstorm was on January 16, 1920. On that day, Montreal received 30.2cm of snow with a daytime high of -19.2C. The high on Sunday was only -15C. The city received 25cm of snow, with 30cm falling in the Eastern Townships and close to 50cm in the Gaspe region. In Ontario, 35cm fell in Cornwall, 27cm in Ottawa and 22cm in Kemptville.

Heavy equipment cleaning the streets of Montreal during the storm. (CTV News)

The snow created very dangerous travel conditions with widespread blowing and drifting snow and near zero visibility on highways to the south and east of Montreal. Transport Quebec closed several roads east of Quebec City. Dozens of accidents were reported in the Montreal region as well as across eastern Ontario. The poor road conditions continued during the Monday morning commute, with the temperature being too cold for salt to work. Roads remained snow packed, with reports of black ice, poor visibility and many more accidents.

Road conditions will not improve much over the next few days, with cold weather forecast, followed by another winter storm on Wednesday. The good news is that temperatures should moderate into Wednesday, and may even go above freezing for a period. The bad news is we can expect another 10cm of snow in Montreal, mixed at times with freezing rain. Cold weather will return to end the work week.

Winter Storm Warning in effect for Montreal

Widespread weather warnings for extreme cold and heavy snow stretch from central Canada to the Atlantic coast.

Winter Storm Warning in effect for Montreal, southern Quebec and the St. Lawrence Valley

A strong winter storm is forecast to impact the St. Lawrence Valley beginning late today and persisting though Sunday. A dangerous combination of heavy snow, strong winds and bitter cold will make for near-blizzard conditions at times. Travel is not recommend on Sunday anywhere in our region. Widespread weather warnings and advisories stretch form the US Midwest across Ontario and Quebec and into Atlantic Canada. Across New England and New York heavy snow will fall to the north, with a mix of snow and ice across the south.

Storm totals could easily exceed 60cm in several locations across eastern Canada and the US over the next 48 hours. Here in Montreal, we will remain on the northern edge of the storm, with 15 to 25cm expected. (AccuWeather)

Near blizzard conditions
For Montreal, the snow will begin after 5pm Saturday, and become heavy overnight. Winds will increase out of the northeast up to 40km/h today and 70km/h on Sunday. The wind will produce considerable blowing and drifting snow. Forecast accumulations will be in the range of 10cm for Ottawa and the lower Laurentians, 15-25cm for Montreal and the St. Lawrence Valley, and 30 to 60cm from the Townships into northern New England.

Dangerous windchill values
Temperatures will be dangerously cold. The overnight low this morning was the coldest of the season in Montreal at -21C (-7F). The high today in Montreal will only be -20C (-4F), that combined with a strengthening wind, will produce a windchill in the -30s. On Sunday, the high will only be -16C (4F), with windchill readings remaining in the minus 30s to near -40C locally.

The storm system in question will move from Washington D.C. tonight, across southeast New England and into New Brunswick on Sunday. Behind the storm on Monday, expect flurries with gusty northwest winds and very cold temperatures. Warmer weather returns by Wednesday, but with the threat for more snow.

Powerful winter storm to impact southern Quebec this weekend

Montreal has had a rather tame winter so far this year, with mostly nuisance snow falling. To date, only 77cm of snow has fallen at Trudeau Airport. That may change this weekend, as a major snowstorm crosses New England. Near-blizzard conditions are possible on Sunday. (ValleyWeather)

Cold air has surged back into southern Quebec on Thursday morning, with temperatures over 20 degrees colder than they were on Wednesday afternoon. The arctic front also produced scattered snow squalls as it moved across the region yesterday. Arctic high pressure in control of our weather today, will slide east of Montreal tonight, allowing for a weak storm system to bring light snow into the region. Snow will begin overnight, with 1 to 3cm expected for Montreal.

Depending on the track of the storm, parts of the St. Lawrence Valley could receive up to 30cm of wind driven snow on Sunday. (AccuWeather.com)

The big weather news will come this weekend, as a powerful winter storm takes shape over Kentucky, and moves towards southern New England. Computer models are in general agreement that a storm is on the way, what they can't agree on is the exact track. At this time, we can expect snow to start in Montreal during the evening hours Saturday and persist through Sunday. For Montreal and points south, 15 to 30cm is likely, with Montreal being on the lower end of the range. North and west of Montreal towards Ottawa and across eastern Ontario, 5 to 15cm is likely. South of the border across central New England, 30 to 50cm is possible. Snowfall amounts will become clearer as the storm develops. A final track difference of 50 to 100km north or south will have a tremendous impact on how much snow falls here in Montreal.

Near-blizzard conditions for Montreal
Regardless of the amount of snow that occurs, near blizzard conditions are expected in the St. Lawrence Valley. The combination of falling, blowing and drifting snow, bitter cold temperatures in the minus teens and 50 to 70km/h north and northeast winds will make travel dangerous on Sunday. Windchill values on Sunday with the storm will be in the minus 30s in Montreal. Travel on Sunday in southern Quebec, eastern Ontario and New England is not recommended. Travel will remain very poor in eastern Quebec and Atlantic Canada into Monday.

Conditions will improve Monday in Montreal, but the weather will remain windy and bitterly cold. Winter Storm Watches have been posted across all of New England and New York, with a special weather statement for southern Quebec. Warnings or advisories will likely be needed for Montreal as the event draws closer.

Major pattern change expected in Montreal to end January

The first snowstorm of the season impacted areas of the Middle Atlantic and southern US this past weekend. More snow and cold is forecast starting next weekend, which will likely cause major travel delays to and from the US east coast. The photo above was taken at a favourite location of many Montrealers, Cape May, New Jersey. (Photo David Paterno Weather Page)

With the exception of this past weekend, the winter so far has been rather docile in southern Quebec. Montreal has measured only 76.2cm of snow, 41cm of that falling in November. Until this weekend, the city had been blessed with frequent above freezing temperatures. The recent cold snap, that started Friday, has seen temperatures close to -20C, but even that is not too extreme for January in Montreal. On the weekend, we managed to miss a storm travelling across the southern US. Snow spread from the midwest across the Appalachians and into the middle Atlantic, including Washington D.C.

Changes are on the way for Quebec and Ontario. There are strong indications that frigid arctic air will flood into the eastern third of the country starting as early as next weekend. A marked pattern change is in our future, that would see well below normal temperatures through the start of February. The first taste of that will come later this week after the passage of an arctic front late Wednesday. The front will be accompanied by light snow and gusty winds. A second cold front arrives Friday, with another shot of snow, gusty winds and dropping temperatures. 

Next weekend, several computer models are hinting at a strong winter storm moving up the eastern seaboard. This storm may brush Montreal with more snow. The bigger story will be the arctic air that is pulled southward on the backside of the system. Temperatures may drop into the minus 20s by the end of the weekend, accompanied by strong winds and biting windchills.

A brief look towards the end of the month shows nothing but cold temperatures, with several chances for measurable snow. There are still lots of details to work out with each individual storm, but one thing is looking more and more certain, it will remain cold.

2018 was a year of extreme weather in Montreal

It was, to say the least, a wild weather year in Montreal, packed with extremes. The year started off on a frigid note, -23.3C (-10F) at midnight on January 1st, under an extreme cold advisory. The cold snap would dominate the first week of the month, with near-record electrical consumption under -40C windchill values.

Within 24 hours, Montreal went form a record setting 10C (50F), to the biggest single day snowstorm of 2018, 30.4cm on January 13th. (valley Weather Photo)

Record high to record snowstorm in 24 hours
The arctic weather however would take a rather sharp turn with a pronounced January thaw from the 10th to the 12th of the month. Montreal would observe a record high of 10C (50F) on January 12th, smashing the old record of 5.3C (41F) set in 1986. The warmth would be short-lived, with the temperature dropping to 0C by the end of the day. Over the following 24 hours, temperatures would plummet to -22C (-8F), along with the largest snowstorm of the year. On Saturday, January 13th, heavy snow would fall over southern Quebec, with 30.4cm blanketing the city in less than 24 hours. The snow was accompanied by 90km/h winds and rapidly dropping temperatures. The storm would destroy the previous record for the date of 12.8cm set in 1979. By the morning of January 15th, Montreal would record its coldest low for 2018 of -26.7C (-16F).

The May 4th windstorm caused widespread damage across southern Quebec. This sign toppled onto Hydro Quebec power lines on Ile Perrot. (Valley Weather Photo)

May Windstorm
On Friday, May 4th, a powerful cold front swept across Ontario and southern Quebec, producing hurricane force wind gusts. The strongest wind reported was in Hamilton, Ontario at 126km/h. Montreal was not too far behind, measuring a speed of 117km/h (72 mph) during the late evening. The wind had devastating effects on the power grid, with 350 poles severed in Ontario alone. Nearly 550,000 hydro customers were left without power across the two provinces, some would remain in the dark for days. The wind also toppled scores of trees, some onto cars and homes. Widespread damage to roofs, signs and anything not tied down was also reported. Sadly, 3 storm related fatalities were reported in Ontario. The Insurance Bureau of Canada estimated damages at $1 billion, the most expensive Canadian storm in nearly five years.

Tropical Heatwave
Montreal is accustomed to hot and humid weather in the summer, especially July, but the heatwave of 2018 was exceptional. The combination of heat and humidity would keep humidex values above 30C day and night for over a week. During the 7 day period between June 29th and July 5th, Montreal observed 4 record highs, including the warmest temperature of 2018 at 35.3C (96F) on July 2nd. Parts of the city were even warmer, including downtown and on Ile Perrot was I observed 36.2C (97F). That temperature would fall just short of the all-time record for the city of 37.6C (99F) set in 1975. The dangerous combination of heat and humidity resulted in at least 90 deaths in Quebec. In Montreal, 911 calls were up by 30 percent, and cooling centres were opened across the city. The heatwave was part of a very warm summer, with 20 daytime highs at or above 30C at Trudeau Airport, the normal is 9. The month of July would end with an average high temperature of 29.5C and low of 18.8C, both well above the long-term average of 26.3C and 16.1C respectively.

The searing heatwave of July 2018 was accompanied by a spectacular thunderstorm on Canada Day. The image above was taken by photographer Steve Walsh, along the St. Lawrence River in Verdun. 

Green Christmas
Our warm summer would persist into September and early October with summer-like weather occurring. It was a year without Autumn in southern Quebec with a very late frost and early snow. Montreal would seemingly go from our hot summer, straight into winter in mid-November. The early season snowstorm on November 16th created havoc on area highways, catching most motorists unprepared for winter driving. Despite the early snow, very mild weather in December would result in a green Christmas for Montreal. The year would end considerably milder than it started, with 0C and light rain just prior to midnight on December 31st.

Another mixed precipitation winter storm for Montreal

Low pressure and a strong warm front will produce a period of steady snow tonight in Montreal. We can expect 5 to 10cm in Montreal and across the Ottawa Valley, with more falling to the north of both cities. Strong winds will accompany the snow, producing areas of blowing snow and reduced visibility. (AccuWeather)

Snowfall Warning: Mont Tremblant, Sainte-Agathe, Sainte-Adele
Wind Warning: Richelieu Valley

The current weather pattern that has been well established since early December, will deal another mixed precipitation event to Montreal and the St. Lawrence Valley. A winter storm developing over the central US, will move towards the Great Lakes and just south of Montreal on Tuesday. A surge of warm, moist air is anticipated in advance of the low pressure. Snow will develop this evening in eastern Ontario and by midnight in Montreal. A decent swath of 5 to 10cm should be on the ground by the Tuesday morning commute, with 15 to 20cm expected north of the city across the Laurentians and into western Quebec.

The snow will mix with and gradually change over to freezing drizzle in Montreal tomorrow morning, and finally rain showers by noon on Tuesday. The temperature will do another wild roller coaster ride in Montreal, rising from this mornings low of -17C (2F), up to -5C (23F) by Tuesday morning and eventually above freezing to 2C (36F) by Tuesday afternoon. Accompanying the precipitation will be strong winds in excess of 50km/h in Montreal, and over 90km/h in the Richelieu Valley south and east of the city. As the low pressure moves east of Montreal, colder air will return, changing precipitation back to snow late Tuesday night. Further accumulations are likely into Wednesday. Much colder air will return by the end of the week, with daytime highs by Friday expected to be well below the normal of -6C.

Valley Weather - a way of life for 40 years

Happy New Year! 
It is hard for me to wrap my thoughts around the reality that we are in 2019. It was a bizarre weather year in Montreal to say the least, from the frigid cold snap in January, to the wicked May windstorm, the deadly record-breaking summer heatwave, and finally, our green Christmas. I will take a look at some of the big weather events from 2018 in my next post.

Valley Weather turns 40 years old

I want to share a personal milestone with you: 2019 marks the 40th anniversary of Valley Weather. I have been obsessed with the weather my entire life, a love affair that began innocently enough during the famed Montreal Blizzard of the Century, March 3-5, 1971. From there, a fear of thunderstorms eventually turned to curiosity and the desire to know what causes them. During Christmas 1979, my father bought me a desk calendar and encouraged me to start keeping track of the daily weather. I did and have continued for 40 consecutive years. At first, I recorded what I was seeing, which gave me a tremendous understanding of the mechanics that create weather in Montreal. Later I produced my own weather maps and dabbled in forecasting, while sharing my information with family, friends and eventually my co-workers at the Montreal Gazette.

What I first called the Verdun Amateur Weather Bureau back in January 1979, and later VAWB while I was living in southern Saskatchewan, became Valley Weather while writing for the Kemptville Advance in 2005. The name came from my joy of growing up in the St. Lawrence Valley, along the shores of the mighty river. Our region is one of the most challenging forecast locations in North America.

The science of weather has changed over the years and is now driven by advanced satellite, radar and super computers. But at its core, lies the simple task of observing and recording what you see outside.

Over the years, my interest has presented itself in many different formats, from my personal collection of weather data, to my time at the Dawson College student radio station, to finally writing for the Gravelbourg Tribune, Kemptville Advance and The Suburban here in Montreal. My first columns were in print only, but as social media grew, I made the jump onto the web. Now, thousands of maps, data entries and columns later, here we are in 2019!

I want to thank each and every one of you who have taken the time to chat with me about the weather, seek out my advice when travelling or simply read the blog. Please feel free to read more information about Valley Weather HERE.