Snowfall warning for Montreal

Expect highly variable travel conditions across southern Quebec today, with heavy snow north and west of Montreal, and rain along the US border.

Precipitation has been fairly light so far in Montreal, with just a centimetre of snow overnight. Radar shows heavy precipitation moving in form the south early Thursday morning. Look for a mix of wet snow and rain in Montreal for the morning commute.

Strong low pressure will move from upstate New York into the St. Lawrence Valley today. Heavy wet snow is falling west of Montreal in the Ottawa Valley, while a rain/snow mix persists in southern Quebec. All regions should change to snow by the middle morning hours, with the exception of regions along the US border and in the Eastern Townships.

Snowfall amounts will be highly variable with this storm, ranging from less than 5cm along the US border to upwards of 30cm across the Ottawa Valley, the Laurentians and into the Quebec City region. The wind will become a major factor later this morning, gusting up to 70km/h in the Montreal region, and as high as 100km/h along the north shore of Lake Ontario, and in the Quebec City region. Expect widespread blowing snow in regions where snow is falling. The winds should diminish this evening and overnight as the storm moves to the east of Montreal.

Temperatures will be very mild this morning in Montreal, up to 3C (38F). They should begin to drop by mid-morning, reaching -4C (25F) by the end of the day.

In the wake of the storm, heavy lake effect snow is forecast to develop around the Great Lakes. If you have any travel in this region through Friday, expect very poor driving conditions. Blizzard warnings are in effect for western New York, including the Interstate 81 corridor for those travelling south for spring break. Some of the stronger squalls may even reach as far as southern Quebec on Friday, but they should be light in nature.