Snow squalls expected across southern Quebec Sunday

Friday's storm produced heavy snow and blowing snow in Montreal, with numerous accidents reported around the region. Visibility was greatly impacted through the middle portion of the day as seen in the photo above taken on LaSalle Blvd in Verdun. Photo: Peter Storey

A Snow Squall Watch is in effect for a large portion of eastern Ontario and southern Quebec for Sunday including metro Montreal.

Another in a series of low pressure systems will impact the region today. The low is a rather weak Alberta Clipper, with limited moisture, but a strong cold front producing a wide range in temperatures. Light snow will develop early Sunday morning a the low moves across southern Quebec. Gusty southwest winds are expected as well, up to 50km/h at times, producing some blowing snow.

By the noon hour, squalls should begin to develop across Ontario moving southeast into Quebec. Brief periods of heavy snow with near-zero visibility are expected. Winds will shift to the northwest and gust up to 60km/h. This is a similar situation to last Saturday, where squalls produced numerous travel issues with several major accidents. Travel with care today, and expect highly changeable weather.

Temperatures will be mild today, reaching -1C (30F) before the frontal passage. They will tumble late this afternoon and this evening, down to -19C (-2F) by Monday morning, with windchill values in the mid minus 20s.

In terms of accumulations, expect a general 3-5cm for most locations, with more in the most persistent squalls.

Heavy snow falling on Île Perrot Friday afternoon. Between 15 and 20cm fell at most locations in southern Quebec (ValleyWeather Photo)

Friday's storm delivered 10 to 20cm of snow on the region, the most at Mirabel with 23cm, the least, as per usual, at Trudeau Airport where apparently only 11.2cm fell. I measured 15cm here on Île Perrot, with 15cm also in Laval, and on the South Shore. The snow fell quickly, reducing visibility at times to zero. Several major multi-vehicle accidents were reported, with one involving 20 vehicles on Highway 20 between Les Cèdres and Coteau-du-Lac. Another closed Highway 40 at Riguad. 

Similar conditions occurred in northern Vermont and New York. A 30 vehicle crash resulted in one fatality and several serious injuries on Interstate 89 near Milton, Vermont. The highway was closed for nearly 10 hours.