Weekend weather for Montreal

Waves from Rafael pound a coastal road near Trepassey, Newfoundland. 
(The Weather Network)

What a gem of a day Thursday was, a true gift this late in the season. Under warm sunshine the temperature reached nearly 20C here in the city. Sadly it has come to an end for a little while, maybe until next April! This morning we have lots of rain on the radar moving from south to north across the Adirondacks of New York and into southwestern Quebec and extreme eastern Ontario. Already about 5mm has fallen at my home on L'Ile Perrot with much heavier rain just to our south moving in at this time. We will add about 40mm to that over the next 24 hours, just below the warning criteria of 50mm (2 inches). North of the city into the Laurentians there will be over 50mm, so a heavy rainfall warning is posted there. Temperatures with the rain today will be very mild around 16C. The weekend looks showery, breezy and cooler as we head into Sunday. Looking ahead into next week we have a cold air mass building into Western Canada with some snowflakes possible. That cold air will likely arrive here in the east by next weekend. Time will tell.

Below: Yesterday the strong winds that affected the Prairies, moved into the Dakotas with lots of damage. Gusts to over 70mph in the Dakotas knocked down power lines, spread wildfires and blew transport trucks off of Interstates. Further south the wind created dust storms in Kansas and Oklahoma closing down several highways after numerous accidents in low visibility.

High winds, over 70mph, topple semi trucks like toys in Belvidere, South Dakota on Thursday.

Top Photo: In Newfoundland post tropical storm Rafael passed about 500km off the coast of Cape Race. The heavy seas and towering waves caused major damage to coastal infrastructure along the Avalon including in Trepassey. Some roads were inundated with sea water and debris. One resident told The Weather Network that the damage was worse in her area then that from Hurricane Igor. Amazing the power of water from a system passing so far out at sea.

Chilly Tuesday then warmer

A relatively dry cold front swept across the Montreal region late Monday with just a few sprinkles and some gusty winds. The air is noticeably cooler this morning with the current temperature at 5C (41F) here on L'Ile Perrot down from nearly 20C (68F) on Monday. Today will be the coldest day of the week with clouds, perhaps a sprinkle or two and highs no better than 10C (50F). It will be cold overnight with lows generally approaching the freezing point. The balance of the week into the weekend will be rather mild with temperatures above normal. Highs on Wednesday will be near 18C (65F). High pressure will dominate into Thursday before a decent low approaches the St. Lawrence Valley from the Great Lakes. Look for rain by Friday into Saturday with slightly cooler temperatures.

Hurricane Rafael
The news is better this morning regarding Rafael and Newfoundland. First of all Rafael became a hurricane on Monday and now has 85 mph winds. A tropical storm warning is out for Bermuda with the center expected to pass east of the island tonight. The storm this morning is about 395 miles south of Bermuda, moving north northeast at 16 mph. Gusty winds, rough seas and about 2-4 inch's of rain are forecast for Bermuda as the storm passes by to the east. Looking ahead the storm is now expected to remain offshore of Newfoundland largely affecting the Grand Banks and marine waters. Rain may affect the eastern portion of the province along with rough surf and gusty winds. Adding to the rain and wind and even some snow is a strong low pressure area located in New Brunswick this morning. The two systems will combine to bring unsettled weather to Atlantic Canada for most of the week.