Montreal on the warm side of the latest winter storm

Strong low pressure will slowly move from the southern Appalachians towards Ontario over the next 48 hours, with a wide variety of precipitation. Montreal and southern Quebec will be on the warm side of the storm with rain expected. (AccuWeather) 

Strong low pressure is forecast to move from the southern Appalachians towards the Great Lakes on Monday. The strengthening storm will take a very unusual path towards western New York and across Lake Ontario before drifting west across Ontario and eventually towards James Bay. The slow moving system is forecast to deliver widespread snow and rain, along with very strong winds.

Montreal will be on the warm side of the storm for the duration of the event, with rain arriving Monday afternoon from south to north. The rain could be heavy at times Monday evening, with 15-25mm possible in the city and perhaps as much as 50mm east of Montreal. Precipitation will persist on Tuesday in the form of showers or drizzle. By the evening hours, colder air will begin to filter in on the backside of the low pressure, changing showers to a few flurries. Winds will also be very strong with this system, gusting up to 70km/h at times in Montreal and 90km/h in parts of Ontario. Temperatures will be very mild in Montreal, reaching 7C (45F) on Monday, and all the way up to 13C (55F) on Tuesday. We even have a shot at the record high for December 1, of 14.8C set in 1998.

Along and west of the storm center across southwestern Ontario, New York and Ohio, the rain will change to heavy wet snow Monday night, with 15 to 30cm possible. The hardest hit regions will be in the snowbelts of the Great Lakes, but snow is expected as well in Toronto, Detroit, Cleveland and Windsor.

The storm will be slow moving, meandering around the region through at least Thursday, with thick clouds and blustery winds. Another storm system is expected by next Saturday, with more snow and rain for southern Quebec, as the weather pattern remains quite active.