Another round of freezing rain for Montreal

An icy landscape very early Thursday morning on Ile Perrot. Freezing rain coated everything with up to 10mm of ice. Roads and sidewalks on Ile Perrot and across the region were treacherous in many cases. Walking for nearly impossible. Thankfully the main highways were in decent shape for the morning commute. (Valley Weather Photo)

Freezing rain warnings have been issued once again for eastern Ontario and southern Quebec for overnight into Friday morning. 

Low pressure will move along a frontal boundary south of Montreal across central New York state, delivering another push of moisture and warm air aloft. Cold air will remain once again at the surface here in the St. Lawrence Valley, resulting in another 5-10mm of freezing rain on Friday. Precipitation will begin before the morning commute in Montreal, lasting through the morning hours, before mixing with and changing to snow midday. Temperatures will drop below freezing tonight, down to -5C (25F), rising close to the freezing point on Friday, before slightly colder air arrives in the afternoon. Snowfall amounts will generally be around 5cm for most locations. Snow on top of ice will make for dangerous walking and driving.

We caught a break Thursday afternoon as the temperature nudged above the freezing point to 1.6C (35F) here on Ile Perrot, allowing some of the ice to melt off trees and power lines. While there were only isolated outages on Thursday, the threat will rise Friday in some regions, due to the cumulative weight of the ice from both storms.

Last evening's storm dumped between 5-10mm of freezing rain across the region, leaving streets and sidewalks covered in thick ice. Main roads in Montreal recovered for the morning commute, but it was a different story in the suburbs and rural regions. As a result, many off-island schools were closed for the day.

There were a number of accidents overnight, especially along the Montreal to Brockville, Highway 20/401 corridor. The saving grace was that the precipitation ended before the morning commute Thursday morning, but this will not be the case with the next system.

Freezing rain warning for southern Quebec

Cold northeast winds that have developed Tuesday afternoon in Montreal, are expected to keep temperatures below freezing into Thursday morning. As a result, a freezing rain warning has been posted for up to 5mm of ice accretion before temperatures warm above freezing sometime on Thursday.

Freezing rain warning in effect for southern Quebec for Wednesday night.

A cold front settling south of the St. Lawrence Valley Tuesday afternoon has allowed colder air to seep into the region. Montreal has dropped from 0C (32F) around noon down to -6C (21F) as of 4pm. That front will be the focus of some light snow tonight, with a dusting to as much as 5cm locally across the region. Expect chilly northeast winds to accompany the flurries.

On Wednesday, the frontal boundary will begin to lift back northward as a warm front, with the same cold air and northeast winds remaining in place at the surface here in Montreal. The result will be several hours of freezing rain in both the St. Lawrence and Ottawa Valley. As much as 5mm of freezing rain is possible at this time, falling mainly during the overnight hours into Thursday morning. The Thursday morning commute will be icy across the region, including eastern Ontario, northern New York and Vermont.

The unsettled weather is expected to persist through the upcoming weekend, as several weak areas of low pressure traverse the aforementioned frontal boundary draped across the region. Much milder air has developed across a wide area of North America, but arctic high pressure remains well to our north. We will see a battle of temperatures here in Montreal through the weekend. As a result expect a messy mix of light wintry precipitation at times, ranging from snow and sleet to rain and freezing rain. Often these events can produce more dangerous and changeable road conditions than big storms. 

Parade of storms over - coldest air of the season moves in

Strong southwest winds last Sunday pushed intense snow squalls along the St. Lawrence Valley as far as Ile Perrot and parts of extreme southwestern Quebec. An arctic front added to the squalls as it moved southeast across the region. The result was heavy snow, blowing snow and difficult travel conditions for a few hours during the afternoon. (Valley Weather)

After four low pressure systems in the last 10 days, the parade of storms is over for southern Quebec, at least for the next few days. Tuesday's system moved along the eastern seaboard leaving Montreal on the extreme northwest edge. We managed 4 to 5cm of fluffy snow, enough to make travel slick during the evening commute. 

The big story for the next few days will be the cold. A modified arctic airmass will deliver the coldest air of the season so far to southern Quebec. This morning's low of -14C (7F) was the coldest so far this winter for Montreal, a clear indication of just how mild the 2023-2024 winter has been. The next few days will feature party cloudy skies, perhaps a stray snowflake or two, with lows of -15C (5F) to -18C (0F) and daytime highs of -7C (19F) to -13C (9F). Southwest winds of 30-50km/h in the Montreal region on Tuesday, are producing local blowing snow, along with windchill values around -20C (-4F). To date Montreal's Trudeau Airport has received 110.2cm of snow, nearly half of that over the last 10 days. 

Heavy snow squalls pound Watertown, New York on Wednesday afternoon, January 17. In excess of 50cm was expected, with storm totals approaching 100cm. (webcamtaxi.com)

For the balance of this week, the heavy snow will be confined to the Great Lakes region, with lake effect snow hammering both Buffalo and Watertown, New York, as well as communities along Georgian Bay in Ontario. Some locations are expecting close to 100cm (40 inches) of snow. This is on top of the 50-100cm that feel last weekend. Lake effect snow occurs in narrow bands downwind of the lakes. It develops as cold winds blow across the relatively warm waters, creating convective cells which organize into bands of heavy snow. The snow has been accompanied by strong winds and even thunder and lightning. Last Sunday, some of the squalls moved along Highway 401 as far as extreme southwestern Quebec.

A NOAA satellite image showing the arctic air streaming across the ice free Great Lakes producing heavy lake effect snow in Buffalo and Watertown, NY. The coldest air this winter, along with just a few clouds and flurries were expected for the balance of the week in Montreal.

Much of the country is being chilled by arctic air moving into the central portion of the continent. Over the last week, Edmonton International Airport set a record with 5 consecutive days in the minus 40s, including last Friday mornings low of -45.9C (-50.6F).

The good news is a significant warming trend in on the horizon, with much of the country going above normal once again by the last week of January.

Another stormy day across southern Quebec

Saturday was a messy day on roads across southern Quebec and Ontario due to a mix of freezing rain and wets snow. Sunday will be equally difficult, with numerous snow squalls and strong winds affecting the entire St. Lawrence Valley.

Special Weather Statement for Montreal. Weather Advisory along the St. Lawrence Valley into Ontario.

There is a risk of significant snow squalls on Sunday, with areas of blowing and drifting snow.

Our latest winter storm delivered quite a punch to many parts of our region on Saturday, with stormy conditions persisting into Sunday. Overnight, winds have been gusting over 70km/h in the Montreal region, along with frequent snow showers. Those conditions will prevail most of Sunday, with frequent rounds of heavier snow and lowered visibility in blowing snow.  High temperatures will be reached early in the day around -3C (27F), remaining steady or dropping through the afternoon hours.

Strong low pressure will lift into central Quebec Sunday, while a potent arctic cold front slips across the Great Lakes and into the St. Lawrence Valley. Strong southwest winds of up to 70km/h will drive snow squalls off Lake Ontario and down the St. Lawrence Valley as far as Montreal. A snow squall watch has been posted along Highway 401 from Cornwall to Kingston. If you have travel plans in that direction, expect highly changeable driving conditions, with near-zero visibility at times in heavy snow and blowing snow.

Accumulations today will be around 5cm for Montreal, but as much as 10cm southwest of the city along Highway 20 towards the Ontario border and into Cornwall. Winds should lower this evening but remain gusty up to 50km/h on Monday. The week ahead will be much colder than it has been, remaining well-below freezing, with numerous flurries.

The weekend storm dumped another 16.8cm of snow at Trudeau Airport, I measured less here on Ile Perrot, around 10cm due to a messy mix of sleet, freezing rain and at times just plain rain. The storm caused numerous accidents across the region, along with a handful of power outages. Hydro-Quebec is still reporting 8200 customers without power Sunday morning.

The same storm that brought snow to Montreal, pounded the Atlantic Coast with strong winds and coastal flooding. For the second time this week, major flooding and wind damage occurred along the New Hampshire Seacoast, southeast of Montreal. (Photo Hampton Police)

This storm was far-reaching, with blizzard conditions on the west side of the track, and major coastal flooding and wind damage on the east side. Some notable numbers include wind gusts to 87km/h at Sherbrooke, and 81km/h at Quebec City. Rawdon, north of Montreal, received 40cm of snow. Along the east coast, many coastal communities from Maine to Long Island reported their highest tides on record. Coastal infrastructure, beaches and homes reported major damage and flooding, some for the second time this week.

Finally, significant lake effect snow has been impacting parts of southern Ontario and western New York. Powerful winds and heavy snow has made travel nearly impossible, and forced the cancelation of the NFL playoff game Sunday between the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers in Orchard Park, New York. That game has been rescheduled to Monday afternoon. Up to 100cm (40 inches) of snow is possible in the most persistent bands.

Snowfall warning posted for Montreal

The clean up continues from the last two storms to impact the Montreal region. Another major storm system, the third this week, is on the way for Friday night and Saturday, with 10 to 25cm of snow forecast across a wide region from southern Ontario into Quebec. Very strong winds will produce near-blizzard conditions at times. (Valley Weather Photo)

Snowfall warning in effect for metro Montreal for 15-20cm of snow and blowing snow Friday night.

Expect very difficult travel conditions tonight and Saturday.

Widespread weather warnings are in effect across Quebec and Ontario as we await the arrival of our third winter storm in less than a week. This storm will be very similar to Tuesday nights system, following a similar track and just as strong. 

We can expect an initial surge of moisture around midnight Friday, that will deposit a quick 10cm of snow across the region. The snow will be accompanied by gusty northeast winds, up to 50km/h in the St. Lawrence Valley. Winter storm warnings have been issued across much of eastern Ontario and regions north of Montreal, where up to 30cm of snow is possible.

Heavy snow is forecast for Quebec City, with up to 20cm along with northeast winds up to 80km/h and near blizzard conditions at times.

Across the Eastern Townships, milder air will result in less snow and more rainfall, as temperatures rise to 5C (41F) Saturday. Strong winds of up to 80km/h are possible across the same region that experienced widespread power outages on Wednesday.

Low pressure is rapidly deepening across the Midwest US early Friday morning, forecast to lift into the eastern Great Lakes today and across southern Quebec on Saturday. Along and south of the St. Lawrence River, warmer air may allow for a brief mix of precipitation on Saturday. Winds will remain strong Saturday, eventually backing to the southwest and west, gusting in excess of 70km/h late Saturday.

In terms of temperatures, Friday will be chilly, with a high near -7C (19F). Overnight temperatures will be on the rise to 1C (33F) by midday Saturday. Colder air will filter in behind the storm late Saturday, down to -4C (26F) and remaining steady Sunday.

Windy weather is expected Sunday, along with frequent snow flurries, as strong southwest winds push lake effect snow down the St. Lawrence Valley from Lake Ontario.

Colder air will surge into the central portion of the continent next week, with near to below normal temperatures forecast through the end of the month for the Montreal region.

Storm two winding down - storm three on the horizon for southern Quebec

A Transport Quebec web cam along Highway 40 in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue showing some of the gridlock motorists had to deal with as a result of lane closures made worse by the heavy snow Tuesday evening. Traffic was snarled all over the city. 

The timing of the arrival of our latest storm was very poor indeed, with snow beginning just prior to the evening commute in Montreal Tuesday afternoon. The snow fell fast and furious for several hours, leading to numerous accidents and clogged highways. Anyone heading anywhere in the city needed time and patience. At one point Highway 20 westbound was backed up from the Dorval Circle to Dorion.

Ile Perrot late Tuesday evening after nearly 15cm of snow fell in just a few hours. (Valley Weather)

The storm dumped 16cm of new snow on Montreal in just a few hours, before precipitation changed over to heavy rain, with less than an hour or so of sleet and freezing rain. After the snow, we managed to received close to 15mm of rain, creating plenty of standing water on area highways. Temperatures have warmed above freezing in the St. Lawrence Valley, but remain below north and east of the city where up to 30cm of snow has fallen. Precipitation will taper off to flurries or showers later today.

There were numerous school closings across the Laurentians. This storm had far reaching effects up and down the east coast. Montreal was spared the strongest winds, but that was not the case across other regions. In Sherbrooke, winds gusted to 93km/h (58mph), Watertown, New York reported a wind gust to 127km/h (79mph) on Tuesday afternoon, while in the wee hours this morning, Burlington, Vermont reached 111km/h (69mph). The peak gust in Montreal was only 53km/h (33mph). The combined result of wind and wet snow has cut power to over 41,000 Hydro-Quebec clients, most of those (30,000) are location in the Eastern Townships. In New York, 142,000 customers have no power, with 28,000 in Vermont.

The same storm stretched over thousands of kilometres from the southern plains across the Midwest, Great Lakes, Northeast into southern Ontario and Quebec with a mix of heavy rain, snow, wind and thunderstorms. One thunderstorm produced a tornado in Panama City Beach, Florida (above), with significant damage reported. (Bay County Sheriff Photo)

Further south, severe thunderstorms produced tornadoes across the southeastern US. One tornado produced significant damage in Panama City, Florida early Tuesday morning.

Winds will increase Wednesday afternoon in Montreal, as the 975mb low moves northeast across Quebec. A cold front will arrive this afternoon, along with showers and flurries, with wind gusts to 60km/h. Temperatures will fall back below freezing tonight in Montreal,  down to -6C (23F), so any remaining water will freeze.

NEXT STORM

Thursday will be breezy and colder, -4C (26F), with a little light snow at times. Friday will be a calm day before the next system arrives on Saturday. This storm does not look as strong as it did earlier in the week, but many details still need to be fine tuned. Expect another shot of heavy snow and wind for southern Quebec and Ontario, with perhasp more mixed precipitation. Updates to follow.

Massive winter storm to impact Ontario and Quebec

This weekends storm produced more snow that originally forecast for the Montreal region, as the system moved slightly further north. Traffic was slow on Highway 20 in Ile Perrot, with roads remaining snow covered for most of the day.

Widespread high wind watches, winter storm watches and special weather statements are in effect across Ontario, Quebec, New York and New England for late Tuesday and Wednesday.

We have a very active weather week ahead as two powerful low pressure systems moving across the eastern portion of North America. Before we cover that, let's close up this past weekends snowstorm. The system definitely over performed here in the St. Lawrence Valley. The snow started late Saturday afternoon, lasting 24 hours in the Montreal region. I measured 19cm on Ile Perrot, officially 15 to 20cm fell across the greater Montreal region according to a statement form Environment Canada. Gusty winds produced blowing snow and made roads rather slick on Sunday. There were numerous accidents reported.

The active weather will continue this week. High pressure will briefly build into southern Quebec on Monday, with party sunny skies and seasonable highs near -4C (25F). Skies will fair overnight, with lows near -12C (10F). On Tuesday clouds will thicken and lower ahead a warm front and strong low pressure system forecast to move from the lower Mississippi Valley towards the Great Lakes. The storm is expected to deepen rapidly to a major storm and pass just north of Montreal on Wednesday. 

A wide swath of impactful weather is expected for the eastern two thirds of North America. There are already numerous weather watches and warnings in effect. For Montreal, snow will develop late Tuesday and gradually change to freezing rain and eventually rain on Wednesday morning. Significant amounts of precipitation are expected. Further north, a swath of heavy snow is forecast, with accumulations exceeding 30cm. Accompanying the precipitation will be strong to severe winds across a large portion of the region. Wind gusts between 60-100km/h are expected for many locations. Winds this strong combined with heavy precipitation will likely produce power outages. Precipitation will change back to snow late Wednesday before ending overnight. Temperatures will rise above freezing Wednesday to 3C (38F) before dropping back below freezing into Thursday morning.

This storm has the potential to cause major disruptions to travel, both n the ground and in the air, as well as widespread power outages. 

Further south across the Gulf States and into Florida, strong to severe thunderstorms and numerous tornadoes are expected. Many parts of the eastern US and Atlantic Canada may see significant flooding from heavy rain and melting snow.

Once we clear this storm out on Thursday, an equally strong system will follow for late Friday and Saturday. More on that later.

Series of winter storms expected to impact Montreal over the next week

Montreal has only had one significant winter storm this season, but that will change over the next week or so, with several systems headed this way. Snowfall late today and Sunday will amount to 5-10cm for the city. The storm on Wednesday is expected to produce mixed precipitation and very strong winds.

A series of winter storms will impact the Montreal region over the next week. If you have any travel plans play close attention to the latest forecasts.

Winter is set to return to southern Quebec this week, after a very mild and relatively quiet few weeks. For the third time this week, a few very light snow showers created black ice and numerous accidents during the evening commute on Friday. Only 0.4cm officially fell at Trudeau, but it was enough to ice roads.

Temperatures have fallen steadily overnight, and it is a chilly -9C (16F) early Saturday morning, with gusty northeast winds. The temperature will not budge today, but we will have some sunshine briefly, before clouds steam in from the south ahead of the next system.

A developing winter storm will move along the the eastern seaboard from Delaware to New England on Sunday, spreading a swath of snow across interior portions of the northeast. Montreal and the St. Lawrence Valley will remain on the northern edge of the system. That will still be enough to produce a good 5-10cm of snow from late this evening into Sunday morning. Accompanying the snow on Sunday will be gusty northeast winds of 30-50km/h. Expect slow travel and snow covered roads, something many drivers are clearly not use to this winter.

Snowfall amounts will increase as you head south across New York and New England, where winter storm warnings are in effect for 15-25cm. If your travel plans take you south, expect delays, as well as difficult highway travel. 

Once this storm move off into Atlantic Canada, high pressure will move in for Monday. Expect a return to sunshine, with daytime highs near -3C (27F).

By late Tuesday, the next storm in the line will be moving from Texas towards the Great Lakes, while strengthening significantly. We expect a potent major storm system near Buffalo, New York by Wednesday morning. This storm has the potential to produce heavy precipitation in the form of snow, freezing rain and rain across a wide swath of  Ontario and Quebec. There is also a major wind threat with this storm, with some models predicting wind gusts of over 100km/h. There are many details to work out based on the final track and strength of this storm, so stay tuned.

The 26th Anniversary of the Ice Storm of 1998

Top: The view from my home in Verdun. Middle: Help would arrive from numerous states and provinces. Finally, over 16,000 Canadian Armed Forces troops would help in the relief efforts, remaining on the ground across the region for weeks. 

This week marks the start of the great ice storm of 1998. Over a one week period, close to 100mm of freezing rain nearly destroyed the power grid here in southern Quebec and eastern Ontario. Widespread damage occurred, along with the deaths of at least 30 people. The complete story can be found here at The Suburban.

Stormy weather pattern to develop for southern Quebec

For the second consecutive day, Montreal commuters had to deal with icy roads just in time for the morning rush. Like Wednesday morning, roads iced up quickly, with several accidents reported. The culprit was a cold front that produced flurries that melted early than froze quickly as temperatures plummeted well-below freezing.

With the exception of one snowstorm, the winter of 2023-24 to date has been rather tame. As I write this Thursday morning, a cold front has just moved across the St. Lawrence Valley, leaving in its wake icy roads and plummeting temperatures. The temperatures has fallen from 1C (34F) at 4AM to a current reading of -6C (21F) here on Ile Perrot. Ottawa has already dropped to -10C (14F), with a wind chill of -19C (-2F). This is definitely the coldest air so far this winter. A few flurries accompanied the front, that have now frozen, making for an icy commute for the second consecutive day. Drivers are reminded to adjust their speed, in what has been a rather easy driving winter so far. That is about to change.

The colder air will stick around into the weekend here in Montreal, with overnight lows down to -12C (10F) and daytime highs around -4C (25F). As far as practical weather is concerned, partly cloudy skies will prevail, with decent sunny breaks and a few flurries through Saturday. Winds will be gusty today, up to 50km/h, with cold wind chill readings in the minus teens.

Parade of Storms

There are indications that temperatures will remain near or just slightly above normal across southern Quebec the next few weeks, allowing any storms that do occur to be more of a wintry type and not the abundant rainfall that has been occurring. The first in a series of storms will develop over the southern US Friday and move northeast along the Atlantic coast while deepening. At this time the center is expected to pass well south of Montreal, with just a glancing blow expected. Light snow will develop on Saturday night and persist into Sunday, with perhaps up to 5cm falling in the city. More is expected across the Eastern Townships as well as New York and New England. Winds will be gusty from the northeast on Sunday, making it feel rather cold.

High pressure will briefly make an appearance on Monday into early Tuesday before another storm system moves in from the southwest. This storm will need some serious attention, as all models are predicting it to deepen rapidly into a major low pressure area, while moving from the Mississippi Valley towards the Great Lakes by Wednesday. At this time there are many details to work out, but we are looking at the potential for heavy precipitation, likely snow and ice, along with very strong winds.

As the energy that will become this storm moves onto the Pacific Coast late this weekend, models will begin to handle the data more accurately, and we may get a better idea on a final forecast track. This active weather is expected to persist well into the middle of the month and perhaps beyond.