Stormy weather pattern developing across North America

While we await our first taste of winter here in southern Quebec, the weather is turning stormy in other parts of our region. Wet snow greeted motorists across the highest elevations of northern New Hampshire on Monday morning. (New Hampshire Department of Transportation)

October can be a month of transition as we head into winter. So far, the weather has been a rather tame in Montreal compared to previous years. While we flirted with the freezing point this past weekend in Montreal, we remain frost and snow free to date. Weather patterns are beginning to change across North America, and we are seeing more major storm systems developing.

The upcoming week will certainly turn more stormy over eastern North America, with several systems impacting the region. Low pressure over the Great Lakes will move south of Montreal, while a second stronger storm system develops off the eastern seaboard. The second system will produce very heavy rain and strong winds across portions of New England, but the worst of the weather should remain south of Montreal.

A strong Nor'Easter, the first of the season, is forecast to develop early this week southeast of Long Island. Montreal will remain on the northern edge of the storm, with gusty northeast winds and showers. Temperatures will be rather chilly to start the week. (AccuWeather.com)

Showers are forecast today into Tuesday across southern Quebec, with perhaps 15 to 20mm of rain, far less than what was expected 24 hours ago. Chilly northeast winds will develop on Monday and persist into Tuesday, gusting at times to 60km/h in the St. Lawrence Valley. Temperatures will be chilly, remaining in the single digits through Tuesday, and perhaps reaching 12C (54F) by Wednesday.

Another potent storm system is expected to arrive by Friday, with more rain and wind expected into Halloween. I am hopeful at this time that the precipitation should taper off in time for trick or treating in Montreal.

The current storm is expected produce very heavy rainfall and wind gusts over 100km/h for portions of coastal New England. Some snow was even falling Monday morning across the highest elevations of extreme southeastern Quebec, northern Maine and New Hampshire. Power outages and coastal flooding are anticipated. The stormy weather will spread into far eastern Quebec and Atlantic Canada by mid-week.

A series of powerful west coast storms are delivering heavy rain and hurricane force winds to parts of the Pacific northwest and British Columbia. The energy from those systems will eventually fuel new storms over the central portion of the continent to end October and start November.