First snowflakes fly in Montreal - Zeta heads for Louisiana

Hurricane Zeta as seen from NOAA satellite early Wednesday morning. Zeta is approaching the central Gulf Coast, expected to make landfall in southeastern Louisiana. (NOAA/NWS)

Wild weather continues across portions of North America, with a frigid push of Arctic air all the way down to New Mexico and Texas. Meanwhile here in southern Quebec, the first snowfall of season occurred on Monday, with several centimetres falling north of Montreal in the Laurentians. In the city, only a few flurries were reported on Monday, and again early Wednesday morning. Temperatures are much colder than last week, and should remain that way into the Halloween weekend. The weather will be unsettled, with a continued chance of showers or flurries though Friday. High pressure should arrive in time for a dry but cool Halloween. 

Across western Canada, the early season cold snap is expected to ease as much milder Pacific air pours into the region late this week. Calgary will see temperatures rise into the upper teens after being as cold as -18C (0F) this week.

While we continue to have fairly mundane weather here in southern Quebec, an early season winter storm dumped 15 to 60cm of snow on portions of the US plains from North Dakota southward into Texas. In addition to the heavy snow, a swath of freezing rain produced an epic ice storm over western Oklahoma and northwest Texas. Over 36 hours of freezing rain caused ice accretions greater than 25mm. The freezing rain was accompanied by thunder and lightning at times. The weight of the ice brought down trees and power lines cutting power to over 300,000 customers in Oklahoma alone.. The wind, snow and ice continue on Wednesday, with widespread warnings in effect. Further west, blizzard conditions are occurring in eastern New Mexico.

Over 25mm (1 inch) of freezing rain has struck western Oklahoma and northwest Texas. The ice has brought down trees and power lines placing over 500,000 in the dark. It is one of the earliest storms on record for the region. (Oklahoma City Police Photo)

In Colorado, the snow provided a little relief to what has been an historic wildfire season. Over 600,000 acres have burned in two separate fires alone, both have now spread into Rocky Mountain National Park. The Cameron Peak Fire, previously the largest fire in the states history, is now 64% contained. The East Troublesome Fire, the second largest in Colorado history is at 20% contained.

Snow blankets the Cameron Peak Fire in Colorado. (US Forest Service)

Finally, the record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season shows no sign of ending. Hurricane Zeta, located 380 kilometres southwest of New Orleans Wednesday morning with 150km/h winds, is expected to reach the northern Gulf Coast later today. Forecasters expect Zeta to strengthen to a Category 2 storm before landfall near the mouth of the Mississippi River. The storm will become the 5th tropical system to impact Louisiana this year. Some evacuations have been ordered along the coastlines, including Mississippi and Alabama. Zeta is forecast to move rapidly northeast across the Tennessee and Ohio Valley's and off the Middle Atlantic coast by early Friday. Heavy rains, powerful winds and a large storm surge are expected along the Gulf Coast. Heavy rain and flash flooding is expected inland across the southern Appalachians. Zeta may even bring wet snow to interior southern New England by Friday morning and perhaps portions of Atlantic Canada by the end of the work week.

Much colder weather set to invade southern Quebec

Cold, damp weather will return to Montreal Saturday, with perhaps the first snowflakes of the season early next week.

Friday has turned into a spectacular late October day across southern Quebec and eastern Ontario. Temperatures have warmed into the low 20s (70s). The record high for Montreal for October 23 was 25C (77F) set in 1979. We will likely fall just short of that, but it will be pleasant nonetheless. Accompanying the warmth is some much needed sunshine. It has been a damp, chilly and at times rainy week so far. So far this month 93.8mm of rain has fallen at Trudeau Airport.

Unfortunately the nice weather is only here for the day. High pressure is nudging into the region for less than 24 hours. It will be followed by a strong cold front sliding southeast from northern Ontario. The front will bring with it the coldest air of the season to date. For the last week, deep arctic air has been diving south into the Prairies and all the way into the US heartland. Heavy snow has fallen across portions of Alberta, Saskatchewan and into the US Rockies, Plain states and even the upper Midwest. That snow will slip even further south impacting portions of the southern plains and rockies over the upcoming weekend. Temperatures have been running 10 to 20 degrees Celsius below normal. Winter is now leaning on eastern Canada.

Tonight's cold front will produce showers and perhaps an isolated thunderstorm overnight. The big story will be the drop in temperatures. Montreal will fall from the middle 20's for highs Friday, into the single digits by Saturday morning and not move much after that. Overnight lows will be at or just slightly below freezing, with a high on Sunday of only 5C (41F). We may see some sunshine Sunday, otherwise clouds will prevail for most of the weekend. The current normal high/low for Montreal is 10C/2C (50F/36F)

First snowflakes for Montreal?

The cold air will remain in Montreal through next week. There will be several chances for precipitation, including perhaps some wet snow late Sunday night or early Monday morning before changing to rain. I don't expect any significant accumulations in the Montreal region, but I am watching it closely. Another chance for wet snow may come Wednesday night, but again I don't believe this is the first big storm.

Temperatures will remain below normal into the Halloween weekend.

Winter arrives close to home

Plows clear away heavy wet snow from Route 115 in northern New Hampshire early Saturday morning. The storm dumped 10 to 20cm of snow at the highest elevations of the White and Green Mountains, and into the Beauce and Townships of southern Quebec. (NHDOT Photo).

The first snowflakes of the season fell across portions of southeastern Quebec and adjacent northern New England late Friday into early Saturday morning. The snow was produced by deep Atlantic moisture being transported inland by a developing coastal storm. Meanwhile a cold front that gave Montreal showers on Friday, provided marginally cold enough temperatures for snowfall across the higher elevations of the region. 

Over 15cm of snow fell across the Beauce and parts of the Eastern Townships into northern New Hampshire and eastern Vermont. Snow also fell at Le Massif in the Charlevoix region of Quebec.  The snow was accompanied by strong winds, in some cases up to 90km/h, knocking down tree branches and power lines under the weight of the heavy wet snow. At the lower elevations, the precipitation fell as heavy rain, with close to 70mm at Newport and 55mm at Sherbrooke where snow mixed in at the end. A peak wind gust of 105km/h (65 mph) was reported on Ile-aux-Perroquets east of Sept Iles. Montreal missed the storm, with just a few showers Friday and seasonable temperatures over the weekend.

Western Arctic Chill

Meanwhile, arctic air has been pouring into western Canada, delivering early season snow and frigid temperatures across portions of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and northwestern Ontario. Dozens of new record lows were established over the weekend, including -14.7C (5.5F) at Edmonton Airport early Saturday morning. The accompanying snow blanketed portions of the southern Prairies making travel very poor.

The cold air will moderate as it moves east, with southern Ontario and Quebec remaining mild through early next week. The weather will be wet in Montreal, with frequent frontal boundaries producing clouds and light rain through at least Thursday. 

Briefly looking ahead to next week in Montreal, we may be seeing our own snowflakes as we head towards Halloween. Time will tell, but I am watching a couple of interesting systems that are brewing. Stay tuned!

The battle of the seasons across southern Quebec

Day turns to night after a warm, windy and somewhat muggy Saturday in Montreal. A strong cold front crossed the St. Lawrence Valley late in the day. The front generated a line of severe thunderstorms, producing lightning, hail and wind gusts to 90km/h. This photo was taken on Ile Perrot around 5pm on Saturday, October 10. (ValleyWeather Photo)

Fall is well underway across southern Quebec, but with a hint of summer still around and a sprinkling of winter. October, or as I like to call it the April of fall, is a month full of contrasts and the occasional surprise or two. We often see summer warmth, thunderstorms, frost and even snow within hours of each other. The weather on Thursday afternoon as a write this update is downright summery in southern Quebec. Temperatures on brisk southwest winds, have risen into the low to mid 20s, with Montreal currently at 21C (70F), and St. Anicet, Quebec, the warmest location in Canada at 24C (76F).

This past Saturday, Montreal recorded the warmest temperature so far this October, reaching 23C (73F), but just 36 hours later, it was 0C (32F), with frost. The weekend also featured howling winds, over 90km/h, hail and heavy thunderstorms. The storms knocked out power to over 50,000 Quebec homes and businesses. The front responsible for the windy weather, also delivered much colder air. Temperatures dropped below freezing in many locations by Monday morning. The start of this week was very wet as well, with 25mm (1 inch) of rain falling on Tuesday.

Looking ahead, another cold front arrives late Thursday evening, followed by a coastal storm late Friday. The front will bring a few showers, with the coastal storm remaining far enough to our east to just produce cloudy skies for Montreal. Temperatures will drop down to more seasonable values, with daytime highs near 15C (59F) and overnight lows around 5C (41F) for Montreal. Once the coastal storm pulls off to the northeast early Saturday, clearing skies will return to the region for the balance of the weekend.

Across western Canada, much colder air is forecast to filter into southern Alberta and Saskatchewan Thursday into Friday. A storm system will move inland from the Pacific and deliver 5 to 10cm of snow to the southern portion of both provinces by late in the day Friday. For some it will be the first snow of the season, with sick roads expected. 

The western snow is an early reminder that now is time for all of us to begin winterizing our home and car. The good news is that no really cold air or snow is in sight at this time for southern Quebec. But don't be lulled into a false sense of security, it is on the way.

Widespread frost expected across southern Quebec

Fast moving late season thunderstorms swept across the Island of Montreal and Laval on Wednesday, October 7. Some of the storms produced heavy rain and minor flooding as shown above on Eliot Avenue in Chomedey. (T. Giotsalitis) 

If the growing season has not yet ended in your community, it likely will overnight into Friday morning. Frost warnings are in effect for metro Montreal, with freezing temperatures forecast across the region.

A cold front swept across southern Quebec late Wednesday, accompanied by a round of potent showers and isolated thunderstorms. Some regions, including parts of Laval received quite a decent downpour, with some isolated flooding reported. Officially only 8mm fell at Trudeau Airport in Dorval. A wind gust to 74km/h was also reported with the storms at Trudeau.

Behind the front, much cooler air settled into Montreal, but gusty winds managed to keep the temperatures above the freezing point Wednesday night. It has been a chilly day in Montreal, with the high so far only reaching 10C (50F), accompanied by 50km/h northwest winds. As winds diminish this evening and skies clear out, a general frost is expected. Overnight lows will range from 0C (32F) in the city to -2C (28F) in the suburbs. Friday will be sunny and a touch warmer, with a high in the low teens. 

On Saturday, another warm front will lift across the St. Lawrence Valley, with a repeat of Wednesday's weather expected. The day will be breezy and warm, with a high of 21C (70F) before a cold front arrives in the late afternoon. The front will be accompanied by heavy showers and perhaps a rumble or two of thunder. Temperatures will quickly fall back once again into the single digits and only rise to 11C (52F) on Sunday.

Record breaking hurricane season continues as Delta hits Cancun

Mexican authorities clear away downed trees blocking roads in the beach resort of Cancun. Hurricane delta made landfall with 165km/h winds early Wednesday morning. (Reed Timmer via Facebook)

The tropics have become active once again, with the 25th name storm of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season making landfall near Cancun, Mexico early Wednesday morning. Hurricane Delta moved briefly inland over the northern Yucatan Peninsula, before moving back into the extreme southern Gulf of Mexico. Delta was a category 2 storm with 175km/h winds at landfall, down from the 235km/h category 4 winds the storm had late Tuesday. At 2pm ET, Delta was located 110km east, northeast of Progreso and moving northwest at 28km/h. Winds were down to 155km/h due to the interaction with land.

Satellite image of Hurricane Delta moving across the Yucatan Peninsula and emerging back over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico early Wednesday morning. (NOAA)

As I write this post, it appears most of the damage at this time has been to trees and power lines. There are reports of flooding and some structural damage to hotels and buildings along the Mexican Riviera, but far less damage than was earlier feared. It still comes as a blow to the region that has been suffering from a lack of tourists during the worldwide Covid crisis. The first European tourists in months arrived on October 1st aboard a Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt, Germany with 260 passengers, most of which were either evacuated or ordered to shelter in place to ride out the hurricane. Many tourists chose to leave in advance of the storm, at least until flights were cancelled due to Delta.

Delta will now simmer in the Gulf of Mexico for a few days before taking a run at the Louisiana coast by Friday. The storm is forecast to intensify back to a category 4 hurricane before weakening slightly on approach to the US Gulf Coast. A hurricane watch is in effect from the upper Texas coast to Grand Isle, Louisiana. Evacuations will likely be ordered for a portion of the coast as the forecast becomes more clear.

Delta will become the record-breaking 10th storm to strike the US coastline in 2020 when it arrives along the Gulf Coast on Friday. This will surpass the record of 9 storms set all the way back in 1916. The list of names presented by the World Meteorological Organization has been exhausted in 2020 for only the second time in history. The National Hurricane Center will now use the Greek alphabet for all remaining storms in 2020. Keep in mind the season is far from over, ending only on November 30th.

Typical October weather weekend ahead for Montreal

A spectacular double rainbow appeared in the skies over Montreal after a late afternoon shower on October 1st. (Valley Weather Photo)

September has drawn to a close and October is underway looking like, well, Montreal in October. I just love October skies and Thursday did not disappoint. The sky was busy to say the least, with pop up showers and dark clouds mixing with bright sunshine and deep blue fall skies, all against the backdrop of colourful foliage. Add a spectacular afternoon double rainbow and an evening full harvest moon and it was a sight for the senses.

Friday will not feature such vibrant skies, but more of a general overcast across southern Quebec. Low pressure will be lifting northeast across New England, while a cold front progresses through the region. The clouds will produce numerous showers and perhaps a rumble or two of thunder. Temperatures will be near normal, with a daytime high near 14C (56F) and overnight lows dipping to 5C (41F). The weekend will remain cloudy, with the odd shower and seasonably cool temperatures. Highs will be near 15C, with lows close to 0C in many locations.

The growing season came to an early end in many locations across southern Quebec in September. This was well ahead of the long-term average for the region and the second earliest freeze on record. Despite this, temperatures soared into the upper 20s a week later. (Valley Weather Photo)

September was certainly a strange month in Montreal. I had anticipated extended warmth from our hot summer, but sadly that was not the case. Temperatures ended up 0.5 degrees below normal in Montreal, with an average of 15C (59F). Most of the month featured highs either side of the 20 degree mark, but there were a few exceptions. We had a very early frost for southern Quebec, with below freezing temperature in many locations around the 20th of the month. I had frost on Ile Perrot on September 21st, the second earliest end to the growing season on record for the region. The end of the month however featured a couple of days with well above normal temperatures. Montreal reached 28C (83F) on the 27th, along with elevated humidity levels. The mini heatwave lasted three days. The high humidity levels made it feel like south Florida and not southern Quebec.

The majority of September was rain-free in Montreal, with 76mm of precipitation falling at Trudeau Airport. The long-term normal for the month is 83mm. However most of the rain fell on only three days, 22mm on the 13th, followed by 33mm over 48 hours ending on the 30th.