From thick ice to record warmth in Montreal

You have to love the month of April in Montreal, ice and snow storms followed by record warmth, within a few days of each other. The contrast was evident in Senneville on Thursday as a mound of dirty snow melted rapidly on greening grass in 27C heat.

There is a saying in southern Quebec and across northern New England, if you don't like the weather, just wait a few minutes, it will change. No other month exemplifies that more than April. It is during this month that you can have an ice storm and record heat within a week of each other. We have plenty of past evidence in Montreal of April snowstorms occurring just days after the first 30 degree weather.

And so after our historic ice storm, as the last remaining power was being connected and debris cleaned up, Montreal reached 27.9C (82F) on Thursday, eclipsing the previous record of 26.7C (79F) set in 1945. That high was just a couple of degrees shy of the all-time April record of  30C (86F), set on April 27, 1990, and more warmth is on the way.

There are still tons of debris and shattered trees around southern Quebec from the ice storm on April 5. Municipalities continue the clean-up, but it will take time as thousands of trees were damaged.

The warm weather is with us for two more days, allowing for a spectacular early spring weekend. Look for abundant sunshine, with cool overnight lows around 8C (48F) and warm daytime highs under light northeast winds of 24C (76F). If Montreal hits 24C Saturday, it will be another record high. The temperature to beat is 23.3C (74F) set on this day in 1969.

Thursday's high in Montreal was part of dozens of new temperature records established across Ontario, Quebec and New England. Some locations in southern New England including Hartford, exceeded 35C (95F). Ottawa reached 30.2C (86F). Toronto has record highs on consecutive days, reaching 29.4C Thursday, followed by 26.9C Friday.

So enjoy the warm weather, but resist the urge to be near or in any body of water. The water is high, swift moving and frigid,  just a few degrees above the freezing point. Exposure to the water for just a few minutes would likely cause cold shock and hypothermia.

Moving forward we do see a return to more normal temperatures to start the work week. The normal high is only 11C (52F) for mid-April. Monday through Wednesday will feature much colder weather, into the single digits for highs and close to freezing for lows, along with showers and even a few flurries at times.

You have to love April, it is not for the faint of heart, enjoy and stay safe.