The Northern Lights were just spectacular in Montreal

The Aurora Borealis as seen from by back deck on Île-Perrot late Friday evening. The Solar Storm that slammed into the Earth's atmosphere on Friday, May 10 produced a spectacular display of the Northern Lights across Canada, Europe and deep into the southern US. (Valley Weather Photo)

As predicted the solar storm that reached the Earth's atmosphere on Friday evening was simply spectacular. The energy from the coronal mass ejection that started Wednesday, interacted with our atmosphere, generating vibrant and vivid northern lights around the world and particularly here across North America. The G5 solar storm did not disappoint, providing many with a celestial show they will never forget. Photos shared on social media from across Canada and as far south as the Gulf of Mexico were breathtaking.

Here in Canada, we were seeing the Aurora directly overhead across the entire sky as opposed to just the horizon, in hues of green, and purple. If you were fortunate enough to get away from the city lights, the skies came alive, dancing in vivid colours.

Mother Nature was still putting on a show on Île-Perrot during the pre-dawn hours Saturday morning. 

Even on Île-Perrot and across the Island of Montreal, the colours were amazing, although a touch faint due to the abundance of light pollution. I was able to snap several photos with my iPhone from my back deck. It was quite the event, thankfully only a few clouds dotted the sky in Montreal. When I walked my pup very early Saturday morning, Mother Nature was still putting on the show, hours after the peak had supposedly passed.

This particular solar storm reached unusually far south, treating many to the Aurora Borealis for the first time in their lives. NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center rated the storm Friday evening as a G5, the impact scale is from 1, lowest to 5 strongest. This was the first G5 in over 20 years. The agency had issued a Solar Storm Watch as early as last Wednesday. 

According to NOAA, we are in a period of elevated solar activity, and more storms are possible. As the energy from this solar storm diminishes early this week, conditions will  become less favourable for viewing the northern lights, and will become confined to more to traditional locations across the far north and high latitudes.

Geomagnetic storm expected to produce vibrant display of northern lights

A geomagnetic storm arriving Friday evening is expected to produce vibrant northern lights, which will be visible across most of Canada and as far south as Alabama and California.

A powerful geomagnetic storm is set to strike Earth's atmosphere on Friday evening, potentially disrupting power grids and radio communications as well as producing vibrant northern lights (Aurora Borealis) across most of Canada and as far south as Alabama and California.

According to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, several solar flares and coronal mass ejections have been occurring over the last 72 hours. That energy is set to strike the Earth as one large storm Friday evening into Saturday morning. Geomagnetic Storms are measured on a scale of G1 (minor) to G5 (extreme). The current storm is expected to be at G4 level, prompting a geomagnetic storm watch, the first to be issued in 20 years.

An image of the sun showing the collection of solar flares and mass ejections sending energy hurling through space towards the Earth's surface. (SWPC)

The current timing has the energy arriving between 11PM Friday evening and 2AM Saturday morning here in southern Quebec. The charged particles (electrons) generated by the sun, mix with oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen in the Earth's atmosphere, the reaction often producing spectacular bursts of colour known as the northern lights.

The incoming storm has been described as rare by NOAA, with comparisons to a January 2005 storm and the Halloween storm of 2003 that damaged several power grids in Sweden and South Africa.

Geomagnetic storms have been known to cause disruptions to power grids, radio communications and GPS systems. A large solar storm on March 13, 1989 knocked out power to the entire province of Quebec for several hours.

Full information on solar storms can be found on the Space Weather Prediction Center website.

Unsettled spring weather continues in Montreal

Menacing clouds have been a part of just about everyday this spring, as Montreal has received highly variable weather. Thanks to a fast moving zonal flow across the country, no weather system has hung around for too long. This pattern is expected to persist into next week, with most days having a least a chance for shower or two and perhaps even a rumble of thunder.

Warm weather seems to be struggling to take hold this spring in Montreal. While it has not been cold, it certainly has not been warm either. We seem stuck in a very similar zonal pattern with cool rainy days occurring just about every other day.

On Wednesday, the high of 13.8C (56F) was reached shortly after midnight, with the mercury settling in around a chilly 10C (50F(, along with gusty northeast winds and rain. This, after Monday and Tuesday's highs in the low 20s. This patter looks to persist for the rest of May. The very warm, muggy air remains across the southern and central US.

We will end the week with partly sunny skies that will persist into the Mother's Day weekend. There will be an ever present, though slight risk of showers each day into next week. Temperatures will try to reach the normal high of 18C (65F), with lows of 7 to 10C (45-50F) expected.

The good news is that our fire season here in Quebec is off to a much more manageable pace than last season. There are currently no active fires burning in the province, with 70 to date reported by SOPFEU. The 10-year average is 89. Rain and snowfall in April and May has been above normal for many parts of Quebec, including here in the Montreal region. In April, 142mm fell at Trudeau Airport, that is nearly double the normal.

So far in May, 27mm has been reported, with more shower activity likely next week. While it may be a nuisance for those looking for sunny, dry weather, the rain at this time of the year is most welcome.

Another round of pre-dawn thunderstorms for Montreal

Thunderstorms moving away from Montreal towards the northeast early Tuesday morning. Despite the cooler temperatures at the surface, warm unstable air moving in from the south has generated numerous storms this week in the St. Lawrence Valley. (Valley Weather Photo)

I was dodging lightning strikes for the third time this week in Montreal while walking my pup during the pre-dawn hours Thursday morning. Another round of storms swept across the region, accompanied by frequent lighting and brief, but heavy rainfall. 

The scenario has been much the same all week here in the St. Lawrence Valley, a warm front lifting into the region, while cool northeast winds supply colder temperatures at the surface. The instability has resulted in the storms firing up, as they did Sunday and Tuesday mornings. Thunderstorms are not that uncommon in late April, but the timing of the storms is a little unusual.

While very warm air has surged into parts of New York State and southwestern Ontario, temperatures have remained quite cool here in Montreal.

Radar image of southern Quebec showing clusters of storms sweeping across the Montréal region during the pre-dawn hours Thursday morning. Nocturnal storms are not all that common in Montreal in the spring, yet this is the third time this week.

The heavy rainfall the has fallen this week, added to an already impressive total for April. The month ended with 142mm of rainfall at Trudeau Airport, well-above the normal value of  82mm. Add to that 26cm of snow, which is double the normal, and it was definitely a wet month.

As we move forward this week, skies should clear out for Friday, with milder high temperatures close to 20C (68F). The weekend looks a little unsettled again, as warmer air will try to take a run at the region. Expect some shower activity, with perhaps a rumble or two of thunder. Next week, much the same, warmer, more humid and more thunderstorms.

Perhaps we are getting an early preview of what the summer of 2024 might look like. Time will tell.