Mild weather finally on the way for Montreal

The weather this week has felt more like mid-January than March, with well below normal temperatures, strong winds, and occasional snow squalls. While only 1cm of snow has been reported at Trudeau Airport so far this month, several centimetres quickly fell last evening in Vaudreuil-Dorion. I took the photo above at 10pm Tuesday evening, adjacent to Highway 40 in Vaudreuil.

It has been a very cold week across southern Quebec, with high temperatures running well below the normal of 0C (32F). As of 3pm Wednesday afternoon, Montreal was reporting a cold -9C (16F). The overnight low tonight could reach -18C (0F). This cold weather will persist through the end of the work week, along with a few scattered flurries from time to time.

On Tuesday, numerous snow squalls moved northeast off of Lake Ontario and down the St. Lawrence Valley. The squalls produced areas of heavy snow and blowing snow along Highway 401 between Trenton and Cornwall. Dangerous travel conditions were reported. Last evening, what was left of the squalls, produced a 15 minute heavy burst of snow across Vaudreuil-Dorion and parts of the far western island around 10pm.

We can expect milder air to arrive this weekend, as low pressure develops over the southern plains and moves towards the Great Lakes. The system is forecast to pass west of Montreal on Sunday, with mixed precipitation expected across the region. A decent amount of moisture will accompany the storm, but the exact type and location of the heaviest precipitation is yet to be determined. I am thinking 5 to 10cm of snow for Montreal, before precipitation changes to rain. But those numbers may be adjusted up or down depending on the exact storm track. The good news is that the mild air that arrives with this storm, will stick around into next week. High temperatures will rise above freezing Sunday, with daytime highs remaining above freezing all next week.