Record warmth to end 2024 - winter will return this week

Before temperatures warmed Sunday evening, motorists were greeted with icy and foggy conditions late Saturday into Sunday morning. Since then however, temperatures have surged into the low teens in southern Quebec, and most of the snow on the ground has melted. Much colder weather returns by Thursday. (Valley Weather Photo)

A warm front finally lifted north of the St. Lawrence Valley early Monday morning, allowing very warm air to surge into southwestern Quebec. Granby reached 14C (58F), the warmest location in Canada, while Montreal settled in at 11C (52F), a new record high for the date, surpassing the previous of 8.6C (48F) set in 2022. Temperatures will slowly fall through the rest of the day Monday. Gusty winds are expected to develop, up to 50km/h at times.

After what was a very warm year, it is no surprise that we will end 2024 above freezing. While a cool front is on our doorstep this morning, temperatures are expected to remain well-above normal, right into New Year's Day. The weekend freezing rain and fog has dissipated, and now warm southwest winds and rain are eating away whatever snowpack was left in Montreal. Over the last few hours, we have recorded close to 10mm of rain.

This is a good time to remind everyone to stay away from area lakes and rivers. The ice is thin, unstable and dangerous, and the water is frigid and moving quickly.

As far as practical weather goes, we can expect showers to persist off and on through New Year's Eve, along with dropping temperatures. Temperatures should remain above freezing through Wednesday. By mid week, low pressure will develop along the east coast and draw in much colder air into Montreal, along with a swath of snow across our region. Depending on how fast we cool down here in the St. Lawrence Valley, we may be looking at 5-10cm of snow on the ground by Thursday morning.

The snow will be followed by an arctic blast that will plunge temperatures below freezing across much of eastern North America. The extended forecast for January across most of southern Ontario, Quebec and New England, is for cold and snowy conditions, perhaps a more typical Montreal January for a change.

Time will tell...