Spring mix of freezing rain, snow and thunderstorms

A light glaze of freezing rain is expected early Sunday morning in Montreal before temperatures soar to record-breaking highs in the low teens. A cold front will deliver strong winds and isolated thunderstorms this afternoon. On Monday, another area of low pressure will pass south of the city, with a period of wet snow likely. 

Freezing Rain Warning in effect for metro Montreal for early Sunday. 

A strong spring weather system is moving across the Great Lakes early Sunday morning, forecast to pass well north of Montreal today. An elongated warm front will lift across the region this morning, allowing record-braking warm air to surge north into southern Quebec and Ontario. Along the warm front, a brief period of freezing rain is possible early Sunday morning, with just a light glaze expected for Montreal.

Once the front clears the region, temperatures will soar, with a forecast high of 12C (54F) for both Montreal and Ottawa, and 19C (66F) for Toronto. A high of 12C would be a new record for Montreal for the date, surpassing the previous benchmark of 10C (50F) set in 1974.

A trailing cold front will arrive in southern Quebec by late afternoon or early evening, accompanied by scattered showers and a risk of the first thunderstorm of  2022. Storms were scattered along the front Saturday afternoon, including a powerful cell that produced and EF-3 tornado near Des Moines, Iowa. The storm caused widespread damage, injuries and at least 6 fatalities. The National Weather Service estimates winds exceeded 215km/h with the storm.

While we are not expecting severe storms in our region, strong winds will mix down to the surface along and ahead of the cold front Sunday afternoon. Wind warnings are in effect for portions of Ontario and New York state, and they may be extended into southern Quebec. Gusts of 50 to 70km/h are expected in Montreal, and up to 100km/h along the shoreline of Lake Ontario into portions of the southern St. Lawrence Valley.

The cold front will clear the region this evening, with temperatures settling back down to 0C (32F). On Monday, low pressure will pass just south of Montreal along the front, with a swath of wet snow expected north of the center. Portions of southern Quebec and eastern Ontario can expect up to 5cm of wet snow by late Monday.

High pressure will move into the region Tuesday, with clearing skies and slightly cooler temperatures. The high will be near -1C (30F).