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