Wet and cold April in Montreal ends on sunny note

More images of April snow, as an upper level low produced rain and snow on Wednesday. By Thursday morning, some locations in the Eastern Townships and Beauce region had measured several centimetres of wet snow. The photo above is from Oxford County, Maine, just southeast of the Sherbrooke area, taken Thursday morning. (Maine DOT)

I had to wonder where spring was as I walked my puppy early Friday morning, wearing my winter coat, hat a gloves on April 29. The temperature was just shy of the freezing point in the pre-dawn hours across many off-island locations. The cool weather will persist today, a trend we have observed during the entire month of April with just a few exceptions.

The average temperature in Montreal for April sits at 10.6C (51F) a full degree below normal. It has been a wet and at times white month, with 20.2cm of snow and 114.4mm of rainfall, both well-above the normals of 12.9cm and 67.7mm respectively. As recently as Wednesday, wet snow fell across portions of southern Quebec, including the Montreal region. Several centimetres accumulated across southeastern Quebec along the New England border.

The good news is that we are in for a beautiful stretch of sunny weather to end April and start May. High pressure will crest over southern Quebec, with diminishing winds and seasonable highs. This weekend will feature wall to wall sunshine, with moderating temperatures. Friday will be cool and breezy, reaching only 12C (54F), but highs should reach 14C (56F) Saturday, 17C (63F) Sunday and close to 20C (68F) on Monday. No rain is forecast through the early portion of next week.

Beyond that, May looks to be relatively normal in the temperature department, which means a slow but gradual warming trend for daytime highs through the teens and into the low 20's by the end of the month. Overnight lows warm from a degree or two above freezing to 10C (50F) by June 1st.

Record-breaking snowfall briefly interrupts spring in Montreal

Heavy wet snow accumulated rapidly in Montreal early Wednesday morning, with over 10cm falling in just a few hours. The snow melted away just as quickly as temperatures warmed above freezing in the afternoon. (ValleyWeather Photo)

Spring was put on hold in Montreal for a few hours on Wednesday. The snow came quickly and melted away just as fast. A record-breaking 10cm accumulated in Montreal in just a few hours. It was enough to shatter the daily record of 7.6cm set in 1949. A strong coastal storm moved inland over New England producing heavy precipitation in Montreal. In all 33.8mm of precipitation occurred at Trudeau Airport, with half of that falling as snow, much of it melting on contact. The exception was during a three hour period early Wednesday morning when the 10cm accumulated. This was poorly timed during the morning commute across southern Quebec. During that window, the snow fell heavily, and accumulated quickly reducing visibility to less than a half kilometre and coating area highways.

Dozens of accidents were reported in metro Montreal and off island to the south and west. In addition to the heavy wet snow, winds gusted to 60km/h in Montreal. The wind and weight of the snow knocked power out to nearly 50,000 Hydro-Quebec customers across the southern portion of the province.

By midday, temperatures warmed enough that the snow mixed with rain and began to melt away. By early Thursday morning, only a few patches remained.

The weather will remain cool for April, with daytime highs in the upper single digits and lows near the freezing point into the upcoming weekend. A cold rain is forecast for Thursday, before decent weather on Friday and Saturday. More rain is forecast for Sunday in what has become a very wet April. Already 118.8mm has fallen at Trudeau Airport, well above the long-term average of 82.2mm.

April Nor'Easter to bring rain and snow to southern Quebec

A late season coastal storm will pull enough cold air into the region Monday night to produce wet snow. The heaviest snow will fall north and east of Montreal, but a few slushy centimetres are possible in the St. Lawrence Valley after midnight. (AccuWeather.com)

Rain will mix with snow overnight into Tuesday across the Montreal region, with the possibility of several centimetres accumulation for the city, more to the north and east. I expect most of the snow to remain on colder surfaces, but there may be some slick spots on area roads.

After a rather breezy and chilly Easter weekend, Monday has dawned delightful, with light winds and sunny skies. The temperatures will moderate after early morning lows near the freezing point to a daytime high of 10C (50F) in Montreal.

April can be a tricky weather month across North America as the seasons battle for supremacy. Last week, temperatures soared into the 30s (80-90F) across the eastern US, while in the west, an historic blizzard shut down parts of North Dakota, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. A record-breaking 36 inches (91.4cm) of wind blown snow fell over three days at Minot, North Dakota, shutting down all travel including Interstate 94 and US 2 shown above. (North Dakota Department of Transportation) 

The good weather will not last very long, as two areas of low pressure begin to impact the region. The first will move into southern Ontario later today before weakening. A second low pressure along the US east coast will become the primary storm, moving into southern New England on Tuesday while strengthening. Clouds will increase late in the day today, with precipitation in the form of rain beginning this evening in Montreal. The rain will mix with and change to wet snow overnight. The snow may be heavy at times across some parts of southern Quebec, with a general 5-10cm possible in many locations. In the immediate St. Lawrence Valley, warm surfaces should help to keep accumulations below 5cm. The snow should mix with rain by Tuesday morning before ending in the afternoon.

Winds will be rather brisk on Tuesday, gusting between 30-60km/h. Tuesday will be raw for mid-April, with a high expected of only 3C (38F) for Montreal. Regions northeast of Montreal towards Quebec City and the lower St. Lawrence can expect more snow, with 10-20cm possible.

Heavy wet snow is also forecast across the Adirondacks of northern New York, where as much as 25cm may fall by Wednesday morning. A winter storm warning has been issued for those regions.

Skies will clear out Wednesday in Montreal along with milder daytime temperatures of 9C (48F).

Historic spring blizzard to bring rain and thunderstorms to Montreal

Travel conditions are nearly impossible across North Dakota, with over 800km of Interstate 94 closed across that state. Similar weather can be expected in southern Manitoba on Wednesday. (NDDOT)

A powerful spring blizzard is hammering portions of North Dakota, Montana and neighbouring southeast Saskatchewan and southwest Manitoba early Wednesday morning. The storm promises to be epic, with 25 to 60cm of snow forecast along with 70 to 100km/h winds. Authorities have already closed more than 500 miles of Interstate 94 across North Dakota and Montana.

A strong late-season winter storm will impact portions of southern Manitoba and southeast Saskatchewan with blizzard conditions expected for over 24 hours. Weather conditions are deteriorating early Wednesday morning in Manitoba, with heavy snow and increasing north winds. (AccuWeather)

Forecasters north of the border are expected the same, as the snow and wind ramp up today in Manitoba. Visibility early this morning is already under 1km at Winnipeg and Brandon. Late season storms are not uncommon in this region, however the strength of this particular blizzard is rather impressive. Low pressure will slowly move across the northern plains and into Minnesota and northwest Ontario over the next 48 hours. In addition to the strong winds and heavy snow, bitter cold will push across the southern Prairies. Temperatures early Wednesday morning are already well below freezing and expected to drop into the minus teens by Thursday morning. Strong winds and heavy snow will make travel impossible in western Manitoba. Expect highway closures and possible power outages.

Heavy Rain and Thunderstorms

On the warm side of the storm, an elongated warm front is producing periods of heavy rain and thunderstorms north and east of the center. A strong cold front trailing from the storm is generating severe wether and tornadoes across the central and southern US plains.

As the storm lifts into Ontario, Montreal can expect periods of steady rain to develop along the aforementioned warm front. A soaking 20 to 30mm is possible, which will add to water levels on both the Ottawa and St. Lawrence Rivers. A heavy rainfall warning has been posted for portions of southern Quebec including metro Montreal. No flooding is anticipated at this time, but water levels are being closely monitored. On Thursday, the trailing cold front arrives, accompanied by gusty winds and scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms. Skies will clear out Thursday evening.

Good Friday at this time is shaping up to be the best weather day of the Easter/Passover long weekend for Montreal. Conditions will be sunny and mild, with a high near 15C (59F) in Montreal, warmer south of the city towards the US border. Conditions will be rather breezy, with wind gusts to 50km/h likely. The weekend at this time is going to be dreary and chilly as an upper level low moves east from the Great Lakes. Look for scattered showers both days and perhaps even a few flurries around for Easter Sunday.

Heavy rainfall expected for southern Quebec

Most of snow is now gone in the Montreal region, but such is not the case in other parts of the province. Heavy rain on Thursday and Friday may lead to flooding in several regions, especially north and east of the city. A heavy rainfall warning has been posted by Environment Canada, with 20 to as much as 40mm expected.

Heavy Rainfall Warning posted for southern Quebec including metro Montreal.

Spring is well underway across southern Quebec, with mild temperature and rainfall expected. A slow moving, moisture-laden frontal boundary is forecast to move into the region on Thursday followed by low pressure moving northeast along the Atlantic coast. The combination of both systems will bring a prolonged period of wet weather to Montreal. After a sunny, mild Wednesday, clouds will increase, with rain developing Thursday morning. The rain may be heavy at times, with 20-30mm expected, and as much as 50mm along the US border. 

Showery weather will persist most of the day on Friday as well. Temperatures will be cooler than they have been, with daytime highs around 8C (48F) and lows near 3C (38F). The weekend will remain unsettled as an upper level low moves across the Great Lakes. Temperatures will be on the cool side, with more clouds than sun and a few isolated showers around.

The rain, combined with melting snow, will lead to areas of flooding, especially north and east of Montreal. I am not expecting any issues within the city, as most of the snow has melted. There may be some low lying areas that see ponding of water. There is however still plenty of ice on area rivers. For that reason Hydro Météo has watches in place for ice movement on rivers across far western Quebec, and in the Chaudière region.

April historically has produced some big snowstorms in Montreal. On April 9th, 2000, 34cm fell, with 32cm on April 1st, 1993, and just last year 5cm fell on April 21st. In 1975, a monster two-day storm produced 20 to 40cm of snow across large portions of the province, along with 90km/h winds. The winds created massive drifts and produced widespread damage especially in portions of the lower St. Lawrence. This will not be the case this year, there is no snow in our future.

The April 3-4, 1975 snowstorm hammered the province, with 30 to 40cm of snow, whipped by 90km/h winds. Montreal reported 26 hours with less than 1km visibility, while Québec City registered 11 consecutive hours of zero visibility. The barometric pressure dropped to 97.93 inches, equivalent to that of a Category 1 hurricane. Wind damage was widespread and roads were closed. (Photo Québecurbain)

At this time it looks like spring flooding will not be an issue in Montreal this year. Snowfall in the Montreal region was well-below normal in March and for the entire winter season. Only 23cm fell last month for a winter total of 180.2cm (70.9 inches) at Trudeau Airport. The long-term average is 209.5cm (82.5 inches). This is not the case in many other regions of Quebec, especially northeast of Montreal where the snowpack remains deep, and the risk for spring flooding is much higher. For example parts of the Gaspé and Saquenay regions had over 100cm of snow in March alone. There is still 127cm of snow on the ground in Sept-Îles compared to the normal of 40cm.