Record cold weather expected to ease this weekend

Snow flurries early Wednesday morning deposited a trace of snow along Highway 20 in the West Island. The light snow was enough to make roads a little slick in spots. The snow was part of an unseasonably cold airmass that produced record cold temperatures across eastern Canada. (ValleyWeather)

A strong cold front moved across southern Quebec late Tuesday ushering in record cold temperatures. The high on Wednesday was only 2C (35.6F) in Montreal, establishing a new record low maximum temperature for the date. The previous record was 3.1C (37.5F) set in 1993. The low early Thursday morning was -4.2C (24.4F), which was the second coldest April 23 on record dating back to 1945 when the mercury bottomed out at -5.6C (21.9F).

Overnight tonight into Friday morning, clear skies and calm winds should allow temperatures to reach record cold levels once again. The forecast low is -6C tonight in Montreal. The standing record for the date is -4.2C (24.4F) set in 1995. Ottawa also established a new record low this morning at -6.5C (20F), the previous low was -4.4C (24F) set in 1945.

Accompanying the cold air on Wednesday, were strong west winds gusting up to 70km/h. Windchill readings were as cold as -14C (7F) in Montreal. Snow flurries were also reported across southern Quebec, with minor accumulations occurring. A trace of snow was officially reported at Trudeau Airport, but the ground was white in a few suburbs around Montreal. More snow fell across the elevated sections of the Eastern Townships including Sherbrooke, where the high Wednesday was only -1.6C (29F).

Temperatures should begin to moderate slightly into the weekend with sunshine forecast Saturday and mix of clouds and sun on Sunday. The long-term average high for late April is 14C (56F) and the low 3C (38F).

April continues windy and chilly across southern Quebec

Snow showers on Thursday were part of an unseasonably cold and windy weather week in Montreal. The pattern of morning sun and afternoon snow flurries was repeated each day in southern Quebec from Tuesday through Friday. With the exception of Monday, temperatures were well below normal. (ValleyWeather Photo)

A cold and unstable air mass has settled over southern Quebec this week, with a similar daily cycle taking place. The early morning hours are sunny and cold, followed by thickening clouds and convective snow showers throughout the afternoon hours. The snow showers wane quickly after sunset, with the loss of daytime heating and instability. The pattern has been repeating itself daily since a strong cold front swept across Montreal late Monday. Temperatures have struggled to reach 6C (43F) each day, well below the normal high for mid-April of 12C (54F). Overnight lows have generally been below freezing, the normal low should be 2C (34F).

Accompanying the colder than normal weather has been decent snow showers, lowering the visibility at times. The snow has not amounted to more than a trace in the Montreal region, with a dusting at times north of the city. In addition to the the wintry precipitation, winds have been quite strong making it feel much colder. Peak wind gusts at Trudeau Airport this week were 102km/h on Monday, 76km/h on Tuesday, 61km/h on Wednesday and 63km/h Thursday. The snow showers have been less frequent Friday, but the weather remains blustery and cold, with west winds of 30 to 50km/h.

Friday night, Montreal will remain on the northern of a late season snowfall stretching from Chicago to Boston. Portions of southern New England are expecting 10-15cm of snow through Saturday morning. The low pressure causing the snow will move along the Pennsylvania/New York border and across southern New England.

High pressure will move into southern Quebec for the early portion of the weekend, with diminishing winds and slightly warmer temperatures. Highs both days should be near 10C (50F). The next chance for precipitation will be Sunday evening, as another potent cold front moves across Ontario and Quebec. Rain is forecast late Sunday, possibly ending as a period of snow early Monday morning. Cold temperatures will return to start the week.

Strong winds cut power to over 40,000 Quebec homes

A tree lies across Rue St. Denis in Montreal on Monday evening after powerful winds gusted over 100km/h. Over 40,000 Hydro-Quebec customers lost power as a result of the strong winds. Most were back online by the end of the day Tuesday. (Radio-Canada Photo)

A potent cold front swept across southern Quebec Monday afternoon, ushering in a few hours of strong west winds. Wind gusts reached 102km/h at Trudeau Airport during the evening hours Monday, with 96km/h recorded at Saint Hubert on the South Shore. The peak gust in Quebec was 124km/h at Riviere-La-Madeleine. In Ontario, winds gusted to 100km/h at Cove Island, with 81km/h in Toronto. The 102km/h wind gust at Trudeau Airport was very close to the all-time April record of 106km/h set in 1975.

All over Ontario and Quebec, the strong winds brought down tree branches and power lines. At the peak of the outages on Monday night, Hydro-Quebec reported over 40,000 customers without power. That amount was down to under 10,000 by Tuesday morning and near 3000 by the afternoon. Other minor structural damage was also reported across the city of Montreal.

The strong winds were preceded by heavy rainfall, with a record breaking 28.4mm falling at Trudeau Airport. The previous 24-hour daily record for April 13 was 23.6mm set in 2004. I measured 32.6mm on Ile Perrot. The rain was especially heavy along a late afternoon cold front, with some minor flooding observed.

Next storm on the horizon for southern Quebec

The most recent Nor'Easter produced tidal flooding in parts of Quebec City. The same storm dumped up to 30cm of heavy wet snow along the Maine border. (Journal de Quebec)

There is plenty to talk about in the weather department tonight, with another strong spring storm expected to impact Ontario and Quebec late Sunday into early Tuesday.

Strong low pressure will move across the Midwest and into the Great Lakes, passing just west of Montreal on Monday. Heavy rain is expected across the region, along with some isolated thunderstorms. At this time, 25 to 35mm of rain is possible starting late Sunday and persisting Monday. Accompanying the rain will be very strong winds. Winds are forecast to increase in speed Monday afternoon, possibly reaching 90 to 100km/h in the St. Lawrence Valley. Winds that strong are capable of tree and power line damage. Warnings may be required.

Thursday's storm dumped up to 40cm of wet snow in Maine, bringing down trees and power lines. Hydro-Quebec has responded, with 60 trucks and 40 lineman currently in Maine assisting with the repairs. (Emera Maine Photo)

The most recent storm on Thursday, was a little less intense than expected for Montreal, however other portions of the province and parts of New England were hit hard. Montreal received 3cm of wet snow, along with 8.4mm of rain. Portions of the Gaspe, Beauce and Eastern Townships measured between 15 and 30cm of heavy wet snow. South of the border in Maine, conditions were far worse, with as much as 40cm of snow falling, along with strong winds. That combination resulted in power outages to over 250,000 residents, nearly 30 percent of the state. Hydro Quebec has sent 60 trucks and 40 lineman down to help Central Maine Power and Emera Maine to repair downed lines and power poles. The outage has been made worse by the ongoing Covid-19 Pandemic.

Parts of Quebec City received tidal flooding form the storm, with water several feet deep in sections of the Vieux-Port district of the city..

FLOOD POTENTIAL
The precipitation was enough to rise water levels slightly on Lake of Two Mountains and the St. Lawrence River. Lake of Two Mountains is sitting at 23.47 metres at Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, minor flood stage begins at 23.30 metres. Several West Island municipalities have started flood preparations including Saine-Anne-de-Bellevue, Pierrefonds and Ile Bizard. Sainte-Anne's has made pallets of sandbags available, with delivery beginning on April 16th. Other suburbs have been staging pumps and sandbags. The situation will need to be carefully monitored in the coming days, especially with the added rainfall.

Spring storm to deliver rain and snow to southern Quebec

Low pressure will move across New York and New England on Thursday while deepening rapidly. The strong spring storm will produce heavy rain in the valleys, and a snowstorm for many higher elevations. (AccuWeather.com)

A rapidly strengthening spring storm is forecast to move across New England on Thursday and into the Gulf of Maine. A wide swath of precipitation is expected to impact Ontario and Quebec starting Thursday morning. Most regions, including Montreal, will receive a cold rain on Thursday, with amounts of 15 to 25mm possible. Daytime high temperatures will struggle to reach 5C (41F) in Montreal, along with increasing northeast winds. The rain will mix with and possibly change to wet snow Thursday night as temperature fall to the freezing point. At this time no major accumulations are forecast for the city of Montreal, but the situation will have to be monitored closely. Winds are forecast to increase up to 50km/h Thursday night into Friday morning.

Regions to the east of Montreal, including the Eastern Townships and Quebec City, will receive a mix of rain and snow Thursday, changing to all snow late in the day, especially across the higher elevations. Quebec City and portions of the lower North Shore and Gaspe regions may receive 15 to 20cm of heavy wet snow by Friday morning. Upper elevations of the Townships and Beauce close to the Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont border may receive more than as 30cm of snow. Special weather statements are in effect for those regions, but they may be upgraded to warnings on Thursday.

Many municipalities are planning and preparing for the possibility of spring flooding, including the Borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro. (Pierrefonds-Roxboro Photo)

The heavy wet snow could damage trees and power lines.The additional rainfall will also raise concerns for spring flooding.  Precautions are being taken in many southern Quebec municipalities, but no flood watch or warning is in place at this time. While water levels are stable at this time, they remain high due to spring runoff. Be vigilant near any waterways.

Unseasonably cold air will pour into southern Quebec behind the storm system for the Easter long weekend. Expect temperatures to be below normal through Sunday, with daytime highs near 5C (41F) and overnight lows around -1C (30F).

April begins as March ended in Montreal, warm and wet

An empty Highway 20 eastbound near the Dorval circle during the Thursday morning commute. Two rare observations to note, first there is absolutely no traffic due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Secondly, veiled sunshine, with clouds thickening and lowering from the east rather than the west, as a coastal storm system begins to impact the region. (Valley Weather Photo) 

Retrograding low pressure south of Nova Scotia will be responsible for increasing clouds and precipitation in Montreal on Thursday. Typically precipitation moves from west to east across the Montreal region, but every now and then we see it move up the Saint Lawrence Valley from the Atlantic Ocean. Rain will be the dominant form of precipitation in Montreal, but other parts of the province, including Quebec City, may see a little wet snow. The rain will begin this afternoon and persist into Friday. Winds will become gusty as well, from the northeast up to 50km/h. Temperatures will be relatively mild, with daytime highs in Montreal between 6C and 8C (43F to 47F) and overnight lows around 1C (33F).

MARCH SUMMARY

March was a very warm and wet month in Montreal, more springlike than anything. Typically we receive several major snowstorms over the course of the month in Montreal, but such was not the case this year. The city received a record breaking 129mm of precipitation, surpassing the previous benchmark of 115mm set way back in 1942. With the exception of a paltry 9cm of snow, the balance was rain. The reason most of the precipitation was in liquid form was due to the fact the temperatures ended the month well above normal. The average at Trudeau Airport was plus 0.7C (33.3F), significantly above the long-term monthly average of -2C (28.4F). We also experienced two thunderstorms in Montreal, not rare for March but certainly unusual. We started March with 20cm of snow on the ground at the airport, but most had melted away by the 15th.

The abundant rainfall combined with snowmelt has municipalities around metro Montreal on standby, and in preparation mode, but so far flooding has been minimal.

While southwestern Quebec was warm and wet, the eastern portion of the province was the exact opposite, cold and snowy. Temperatures in the Saguenay, Lower North Shore and Gaspe regions were actually below normal. Over 100cm of snow fell at Sept Iles during the month, with 114cm of snow still on the ground as of April 1st.