Surge after surge of arctic air for Montreal

Frigid temperatures and occasional light snow have kept road crews busy across southern Quebec this month. There have been numerous accidents on Montreal area highways due to black ice. This is especially true on any elevated surface located close to water. Ice fog and mist have been reported on each of the last four mornings. (ValleyWeather Photo)

January has been one cold month in Montreal and across southern Quebec, with surge after surge of arctic air. To date this month, there have been 21 morning lows colder than -20C (-4F) at Trudeau Airport, as compared with one such morning during all of January 2021. This included Monday mornings low of -25C (-13F). Stating the obvious, temperatures have been much colder than normal this month. As of Sunday, the average high at Trudeau Airport for January was -7.4C (19F), with the average low -18C (0F). This compares to the long-term normal of -5.3C (22.5F) and -14C (7F) respectively.

In between the arctic air intrusions, we have had a few milder days as weak low pressure, Alberta Clippers, have traversed the Great Lakes and upstate New York. These systems are typically moisture starved for southern Quebec, dropping a few centimetres at best. After a cold day today, temperatures will take a slow upward trend as another such clipper system moves southwest of Montreal. Up to 10cm of snow is possible for parts of southern Ontario, but here in southern Quebec, just a few flurries is about all we can expect. The clouds overnight and early Tuesday will allow temperatures to slightly moderate, remaining steady tonight near -15C (5F) tonight, and rising to -10C (14F) on Tuesday.

Colder air will once again arrive late Tuesday, with temperatures dropping into the middle -20s by Wednesday morning.  The mercury will not move much in Montreal on Wednesday, remaining close to -20C (-4F) for a daytime high.

Weekend Storm?

We are watching a potential Nor'easter for the upcoming weekend, with several different scenarios on the table. Current thinking is that the heaviest precipitation will remain well east of Montreal over New England and into Atlantic Canada. However, there does remain a possibility of a more western track and perhaps heavier snow for southern Quebec. Regardless of the track, slightly warmer temperatures will prevail Friday and Saturday, before frigid air returns on gusty northwest winds for Sunday.