Significant snowfall for parts of southern Quebec

A snowfall warning has been issued for southern Quebec and Eastern Ontario for 15 to 25cm of wet snow from late Friday evening into Saturday. Rain will mix in at times across the south shore and the Eastern Townships.

Snowfall Warning in effect for Montreal, Ottawa and Cornwall

Winter Storm Warning for Quebec City

The weather has been rather quiet of late, misty and mild, with dreary sky conditions and light winds. That is about to change as a potent upper level low spins into New York state tonight followed by a second area of low pressure expected to develop along the middle Atlantic coast. Both storms will provide enough energy to produce heavy wet snow from Montreal north and west into the Ottawa Valley.

Precipitation will begin late this evening in Montreal and become heavy at times on Saturday. The dividing line between snow and rain will be very close to Montreal. I expect 15cm of snow for Montreal, with up to 25cm north and west of the city and less south and east. Rain should mix in across the Eastern Townships, with the risk of pockets of freezing rain on the South Shore. Snow amounts east of the city will be in the 10-15cm range. Accompanying the snow will be gusty winds of 20-40km/h with gusts to 70km/h possible late Saturday and Sunday, especially east of Montreal.

Temperatures will be very close to the freezing point in Montreal on Saturday, so the snow will be wet and heavy. The weight of the snow combined with gusty winds may lead to some isolated power outages. The snow will be difficult to clear, so keep this in mind when shovelling out.

The snow will taper off to flurries late Saturday and persist into Sunday along with blustery conditions. Colder temperatures are expected to return by late Sunday and remain throughout next week.

A used Christmas tree was snagged by high tension wires in southern Saskatchewan, after hurricane-force winds blew through the region late Wednesday.
(SaskPower Photo)

Prairie Wind Storm

The same upper level low set to impact southern Quebec, produced a wicked windstorm across the southern Prairies. Nine all-time wind records were established in Alberta, including 145km/h (90mph) at Taber. In southern Saskatchewan, speeds reached a record-breaking 143km/h (88mph) at Bratts Lake, with 126km/h (78mph) at Regina. The winds, combined with a few centimetres of fresh snow, produced blizzard conditions late Wednesday. Dozens of highways in southern Saskatchewan were closed, with hundreds of motorists spending the night trapped in their vehicles. The wind also produced widespread power outages and structural damage to many homes and businesses. Some regions still remain in the dark and cold Friday morning.