Colder weather returning to southern Quebec

A spectacular early sunset Monday afternoon in Montreal. With the move back to standard time last Sunday, the days are terribly short with the sun setting at 4:30 today. Thankfully the weather has been bright and sunny.

We are coming to the end of another spectacular stretch of fall weather in Montreal. Temperatures have been above normal, well into the teens, along with abundant sunshine and no precipitation. We can expect one more day of pleasant weather Thursday, however temperatures will be cooler, with overnight lows near 0C (32F) and a daytime high of 8C (47F) on Thursday.

High pressure has been in control of our weather, with the heavier cloud cover and any precipitation remaining south of our region. That will change as the week comes to an end. Strengthening low pressure over Manitoba will slide into the upper Midwest and then across the central Great Lakes into the weekend. This system will provide southern Manitoba and northwest Ontario with the first snowstorm of the season. Heavy snow is forecast across those regions from Thursday into the weekend. Between 10 and 20cm are expected across southern Manitoba, with 20 to 40cm in northwest Ontario, west of the storm track. The snow will also spread into neighbouring portions of North Dakota and Minnesota.

As the storm deepens, howling winds are forecast across the upper midwest and Great Lakes. The storm will remain well north and west of Montreal, lifting a warm front across the St. Lawrence Valley late Thursday, followed by a potent cold front on Friday. A period of gusty winds and steady rain is likely Friday, before temperatures begin to drop heading into the weekend. Behind the cold front, below freezing temperatures are expected in Montreal for overnight lows, with daytime highs in the low single digits starting Sunday. There is a chance of some light snow or flurries overnight Sunday into Monday, but no accumulation is anticipated at this time for Montreal.

Another low pressure area is forecast to develop along the east coast early next week, but remain well southeast of Montreal. Temperatures are expected to remain below normal well into next week.