Another winter storm on the way for Montreal

Road crews in southern Quebec have been kept busy over the last two weeks, as several major storms have impacted the region. Frequent snowfalls are forecast over the next two weeks along with some of the coldest air this winter arriving by Sunday. (Transport Quebec)

Snowfall warning issued for southern Quebec

Widespread snowfall and winter storm warnings are in effect across southern and eastern Ontario and southern Quebec. This includes the Highway 20/401 corridor as well as the major urban areas of Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. Warnings are also in effect for upstate New York and New England.

Low pressure is forecast to strengthen and move from the Gulf States towards the Great Lakes and just south of Montreal, while a second storm center develops along the east coast. The St. Lawrence Valley will be in the sweet spot, with a general 15-25cm forecast, with the higher amounts looking more likely for metro Montreal. Gusty northeast winds will accompany the snow, between 30-50km/h producing areas of blowing snow.

Temperatures will remain below freezing for the duration of the storm, dropping to -12C (10F) overnight into Wednesday morning and slowly rising to around -4C (25F). The snow is expected to begin in Montreal by 4pm Wednesday afternoon, becoming heavy at times in the evening and early overnight before tapering to flurries on Thursday.

Expect a difficult commute both Wednesday evening and Thursday in Montreal. Snow is forecast across most of southern Ontario as well, so travel conditions will be challenging in those regions. Some freezing rain is possible along the US border and in the vicinity of Lake Ontario.

Colder temperatures are expected Friday behind the system, before more snow arrives on the weekend. Saturday is expected to be quite mild, above freezing at 2C (36F), before some of the coldest air this winter arrives on Sunday.

To date, Montreal has received 47.2cm of snow for the month of January.