A break from the stormy weather for Montreal

Several major, multi-vehicle collisions were reported across southern Quebec on Monday. The combination of snow and very strong winds, produced near-zero visibility. The accident above closed Highway 15 south of Montreal from Saint-Jacques-le-Mineur to the US Border. (Post Millennial Photo)

It was a wild 36 hours across eastern North America, as a strong storm system moved from the central US and Great Lakes, into Quebec. A messy mix of snow, freezing rain, rain and fierce winds dominated the weather. Montreal had several hours of freezing rain on Sunday, followed by heavy rain at times, with even a rumble or two of thunder on the south shore. A strong cold front late Sunday delivered violent winds, with a peak gust of 85km/h observed at Trudeau Airport and 89km/h at Saint Hubert. In Quebec, the top wind speed was 107km/h at Grand Bergeronnes. In Ontario, Port Colborne reported a gust to 128km/h, with 200km/h at Plateau, Nova Scotia on Cape Breton Island. A February wind record was established on top of Mount Washington in northern New Hampshire, with a gust of 275km/h (171 mph) on Monday afternoon.

On Monday, the strong winds persisted, combining with falling temperatures and blowing snow to produce dangerous driving conditions. Major accidents closed dozens of roads across Ontario and Quebec, including Highway 15 south of Montreal to the US border, and Highway 40 at the Ontario/Quebec border. Other accidents also occurred on Routes 340 and 201 southwest of Montreal. Miraculously only minor injuries were reported, despite the fact hundreds of vehicles were involved. Similar multi-vehicle accidents occurred across central and eastern Ontario, including a 70 vehicle pile-up on Highway 400 near Barrie.

The good news is that conditions have improved significantly across the entire region Tuesday, with clear weather expected through the end of the week for Montreal. Winds do remain gusty on Tuesday, in the 30 to 50km/h range in Montreal, but they should diminish by Wednesday. High pressure will remain in control of our weather, with sunny skies and cold temperatures expected through Thursday. The morning low on Wednesday will be near -21C (-6F) in Montreal. A warming trend is expected by Friday into the upcoming weekend, but with increasing chances for snow by late Saturday.