Milder temperatures and rain expected into the weekend

While Montreal received a rather tame 14.6cm of snow over the last week, parts of the Great Lakes were buried under metres of snow. Over 150cm (58 inches) of snow fell near Watertown, New York off Lake Ontario, while an incredible 207cm (81.5 inches) fell at Hamburg, south of Buffalo. The home of the Buffalo Bills, Orchard Park, received over 200cm, as much snow as Montreal receives in an entire winter. The photo above is a Lewis County plow struggling down a country road in the Town of Harrisville, northeast of Watertown. (New York State Association of Town Superintendents & Highways)

Our extended period of below normal temperatures and early winter weather is about to come to an end in Montreal. High temperatures have been rather chilly over the last week to ten days, well below the normal highs of 3C (38F) expected in late November.  If you did not like the early taste of winter, milder air and a period of rain is in our future. 

The weather has been a rather unsettled this week across southwestern Quebec, with a little bit of everything thrown in for good measure. Skies have been cloudy for the most part, with some sunny breaks at times, along with periods of very light snow or flurries. The snow has not amounted to much, with the bulk of the deeper moisture remaining closer to the Great Lakes in Ontario and across parts of New York State.

Only 14.6 cm of snow has fallen at Trudeau Airport over the past week, while over 200cm fell on portions of western New York, especially across the metro Buffalo south towns. Hamburg, New York recorded 81.5 inches of snow, an incredible 207cm over a three day period. From this one lake-effect storm, Hamburg and Orchard Park received as much snow as Montreal expects in an average winter. The long-term average for Montreal is 209cm (82.5 inches). Recent years have seen even less, with only 150 to 175cm falling during each of the last three winters. 

The historic lake-effect snowstorm spilled onto the Canadian side of the border last Saturday, impacting the 401 corridor from Kingston to Cornwall. Locations close to the Thousand Islands region received nearly 25cm. Highway 401 was a mess in several locations, with multiple accidents reported. Along the Lake Huron shoreline as well as off Lake Erie, between 30 and 60cm fell.

All that snow is just a memory now as a warmer weather pattern is expected over the next week. High pressure will provide us with clearing skies Wednesday, followed by a sunny, mild Thursday. Expect high temperatures above the freezing point to 4C (39F). On Friday, a frontal boundary will deliver clouds and light rain, possibly changing to snow showers late in the evening. Temperatures will be mild, up to 6C (43F). After a fair day Saturday, a more potent weather system will arrive for Sunday into Monday. The storm, originating from Texas, will pass to the west of Montreal, allowing for milder air and rain. As the storm lifts to out north and east, colder air will arrive allowing the precipitation to taper off to flurries. I will have more details on this storm as we draw closer to the weekend.