The weekend was unsettled as predicted, with cool weather and scattered thunderstorms at times. An upper level low drifted southeast off the New England coast and is moving away from southern Quebec. The circulation around that storm may produce some afternoon clouds and perhaps a shower or rumble of thunder in Montreal, but that should thankfully be the end of this system as it drifts into Atlantic Canada.
High temperatures on Monday, will be warmer than over the weekend, reaching 21C (70F). Winds should ease after a very blustery weekend. The balance of the week looks sunny and dry, with increasing warmth through Friday. Highs will range through the middle and upper 20s, with lows in the middle to high teens.
Speaking of wind, at Trudeau Airport, peak gusts were observed at 78km/h Friday, 67km/h Saturday, and 68km/h on Sunday. Gusts reached as high as 90km/h in other locations. Those winds caused widespread power outages, especially Friday, when over 40,000 customers were in the dark. The same was true across eastern Ontario, where nearly 90,000 homes and businesses were in the dark. In Montreal rain fell heavy at times, with 20-30mm falling since Friday afternoon.
The thunderstorms also produced a significant amount of lightning strikes in the Montreal region Friday afternoon, the most this year to date. A cooler spring has resulted in fewer thunderstorms so far in Montreal.
The storms on Sunday were isolated in nature, but packed a punch. One storm knocked down several trees, including one onto several parked cars in the Hochelaga district of Montreal. Meanwhile in LaSalle, an inflatable play structure was lifted into the air at an outdoor celebration at Oullette Park, causing 11 injuries, 6 serious enough to require hospitalization.
The low pressure produced heavy rain and gusty winds across all of eastern Canada and New England. There were widespread reports of very strong winds as well several boats were damaged along the New England coast. Inland heavy snow blanketed portions of the highest elevations, including Mount Washington in New Hampshire.


