Winter returns to southern Quebec on Saturday

Our relatively mild December will come to an end on Saturday as winter returns to Montreal. A storm system will deliver 5 to 10cm of snow, followed by cold air through Christmas.

A light to moderate snowfall is forecast for southern Quebec on Saturday, just 48 hours after record warmth. Low pressure will move from the Ohio Valley across southern New England on Saturday spreading an area of snowfall north of the center. The snow should arrive in Montreal by 2pm and become steady into the evening hours. Precipitation will taper off after midnight.

Total accumulations of 5 to 8cm are possible from Laval into Montreal, with 5 to 10cm from Montreal to the US border. Across New England and northern New York, 15 to 25cm are possible. In eastern Ontario, along the St. Lawrence River, 5 to 15cm are forecast. In the Ottawa Valley, further from the storm center, les than 5cm is forecast.

Low pressure will move from Ohio across New England on Saturday delivering snow to southern Quebec. (AccuWeather.com)

Winter weather travel advisories are in effect for both sides of the St. Lawrence Valley in Ontario and New York, with winter storm warnings across parts of New York and New England. No warnings have been issued at this time for southern Quebec. Roads will become snow covered and slippery in Montreal this afternoon, so adjust your speed.

This will be an all snow event, unlike previous systems, as cold air is in place and will remain there right through the upcoming week. If snow for the holidays makes you happy, then you are in luck. What falls should remain for the foreseeable future guaranteeing a white Christmas for Montreal.

The high on Saturday will be -3C (27F) in Montreal, but it will feel colder with a northeast wind up to 40km/h. Temperatures will drop to -6C (21F) by Sunday morning, with some partial clearing. Sunday will be partly cloudy and cool, with highs remaining steady near -5C (23F). Skies will clear out Sunday night, with cold overnight lows near -12C (14F). There is a chance for more light snow Monday night.

Record Warmth

On Thursday, Montreal reached a very warm record-breaking 15.5C (60F), smashing the previous benchmark of 10.2C (50F) set in 1992. It was one of 8 new records set in the province. The day ended with another windy cold front, producing gusts up to 85km/h (52.8 mph) at Trudeau Airport. While there were scattered power outages reported by Hydro-Quebec, we managed to avoid the widespread damage experienced last Saturday night.