Spring off to a typical slow start in Montreal

Some trees have responded to the 91mm of rain that have fallen so far in Montreal this April, while others have been slowed by the frequent cloud cover, chilly days and nights. This is typical April weather in Montreal. 

April can be a tricky month across North America, with mother nature having tremendous mood swings. There is no other month more volatile than April. It is a month that features snow and ice storms, thunderstorms, tornadoes, strong winds, wild temperature swings, and the start of wildfire season, often occurring in the same week. 

This is quite simply because there is no other month with such a wide range in temperatures across the continent. While winter holds on across the arctic, mid summer temperatures have entered the picture along the Gulf Coast. When these two air masses collide, action results. We witnessed that last week, with a high of 22C (72F) last Friday in Montreal, followed by plunging temperatures into the single digits on Saturday. 

This week, heavy snow fell in parts of the southern prairies, while severe thunderstorms and tornadoes were occurring across the lower Great Lakes and Ohio Valley. 

More of the same April action can be expected in the coming days. Montreal will be plagued by frequent frontal boundaries pinwheeling across the St. Lawrence Valley. The first produced about 7mm of rain on Thursday, along with chilly temperatures. We will warm up on Friday into the middle teens, before another front late in the day produces more showers along with gusty winds and dropping temperatures. 

The weekend will be cool, windy and unsettled. This trend will persist into next week. A very cool airmass arrives mid-week in southern Quebec, with highs struggling to reach 5C (41F), and overnight lows likely at or below freezing with some frost by Wednesday. 

While spring seems to be sputtering here in Montréal, it is nothing abnormal, the good news is that no snow is in our future, and May is just around the corner!