A wet and white weekend ahead for southern Quebec

Spring storms are very common in Montreal, even during mild winters such at the current one. All it takes is one chilly night and low pressure to our south to quickly create a winter wonderland, such as the one above on Ile Perrot, April 12, 2013. Some parts of southern Quebec will have some significant wet snow on Sunday. (Valley Weather Photo)

Special Weather Statement in effect: The seasons will battle it out this weekend over southern Quebec, with a messy mix of rain and snow expected. Some regions north of Montreal and across the higher elevations of the Eastern Townships, could have significant amounts of snow by Monday morning.

Southern Quebec will have a nearly perfect late winter day Friday, the calm before a weekend storm system. Sunshine will prevail, with warm highs approaching 10C (50F).

A significant area of low pressure will approach the region on Saturday, moving across the Great Lakes and lifting a warm front into the St. Lawrence Valley. Ahead of the front, gusty southeast wind will develop, along with steady rain by Saturday afternoon. The rain will be heavy at times, with 20-40mm possible from southern Ontario into southern Quebec.

There will be a break in precipitation early Sunday and the low weakens and transfers energy to a deepening storm along the southern New England coast. That storm will become the main low pressure as it lifts northeast across the Gulf of Maine and into Atlantic Canada.

As the storm deepens, colder air will filter across eastern Ontario and western Quebec, changing the rain to snow from northwest to southeast Sunday evening. Accumulations will be highly variable across the region, with a dusting in the immediate valley to as much as 15cm across the higher elevations. Many factors will determine how much snow falls, but expect highly changeable travel conditions Sunday into Monday morning.

 The snow will be wet and heavy where it falls which could lead to power outages. Winds will be gusty this weekend, up to 50km/h at times. Temperatures will be very mild in Montreal Saturday at 10C (50F), dropping into the 0C to 3C (32-38F) range on Sunday.

This is a developing story and will be updated.