Colder weather on the horizon for southern Quebec

A quick hitting storm Saturday night left about 10cm of slushy, wet snow across the region. Main roads were in decent shape by Sunday morning, but many neighbourhood streets were snow covered and icy as temperatures fell later in the day. Gusty west winds helped dry roads overnight in time for the Monday morning commute. (Valley Weather)

I mentioned in my last post my concern that Saturday nights storm might be a bust. It was for most of us as both milder and dry air worked into the system. with less of an influence from the coastal storm. Montreal still managed about 10cm of wet snow, with some locations off island receiving as much as 15cm. The precipitation ended quickly and was followed my a mild and partly sunny Sunday, so some melting took place. In the end, it was not much of a storm, with minimal impacts.

The trend of weak systems will persist this week, with the first arriving in a few hours. We can expect periods of light snow Monday, with perhaps a centimetre or two. Warmer southwest winds will develop, with a high near -2C (29F). Temperatures will warm further on Tuesday and Wednesday, with highs above freezing in the 2C to 5C (35F to 40F) range. As a result any scattered precipitation that does occur, will likely be in the form of rain. The parade of weak weather systems continues, with another passing well north of Montreal late Tuesday.

The advertised much colder air arrives by Thursday as a strong cold front will open the door to arctic air pooling to our north. The front will be accompanied by a burst of snow and strong winds either late Wednesday or early Thursday. Highs on Thursday will be chilly, around -10C (14F), along with gusty winds. The cold will persist into next weekend.

At this time, no major storms are on the horizon for Montreal. A coastal system on Thursday or Friday should remain well south and east of southern Quebec. That may change but for now the weather should remain dry and cold for Montreal into next weekend.