Strong thunderstorms possible

Thick smoke and flames from the Kirkland Lake forest fire. (CBC)

This is one of those weather days where there is just too much going on to cover it all in depth, We will start locally where a warm and very humid air mass is in place. Here on L'Ile Perrot we managed 29C yesterday and dropped only to 19C overnight. We are already sitting at 22C this morning with a juicy dew point of 17C. Basically we have a ripe air mass for thunderstorms. We should see some later today as a cold front enters the St. Lawrence Valley by late afternoon. Some storms could be on the heavy side with gusty winds, heavy downpours and small hail. It will be warm again today, reaching 27C. The weekend looks decent although not perfect. Saturday will be cooler and dry with highs of 23C while Sunday will be cooler yet down to 20C with a few showers.

On the other side of the country it is cold across the prairies with Regina sitting at 1C this morning and flurries in the air. Snow also fell across far northwest Ontario. Heavy rain is forecast from Montana across Saskatchewan over the weekend with as much as 25mm. Where they could use the rain is near Kirkland Lake, Ontario. A massive forest fire burning about 2700 hectares continues to test firefighters. Winds have been strong and temperatures warm under a nearly stationary high pressure area. Dense smoke from the blaze is affecting the Timmins area where a state of emergency has been declared.

Tropics: It is not unheard of the have such an early active tropical season in the Atlantic, but it is rare. Last weekend it was tropical storm Alberto which thankfully moved out to sea and dissipated. This week we are looking at an elongated area of low pressure off the coast of Florida that has deluged the state this week. Nearly 10 inches of rain fell in south Florida with major flooding. The system is forecast to develop into a tropical storm this weekend and be named Beryl. The storm will move northeast and then back west towards the beaches of Georgia and the Carolina's. Remember it is the busy Memorial Day Weekend and the area will be very crowded. All interests should monitor the latest forecast for the area available HERE.

Sat image of hurricane Bud approaching the southwest Mexican coast this morning.

 Finally we have hurricane Bud in the Pacific Ocean off the southwest coast of Mexico. The storm at one point yesterday was a major Category 3 system but has weakened slightly this morning. The dangerous storm with 110 mph winds should make landfall near Manzanillo later today or tonight with high winds, pounding surf and up to 15 inches of rain.

Thunder possible today & Friday

Once the clouds lifted on Wednesday, it was actually a rather pleasant day with sunshine and highs of 22C. Today we started off at a rather muggy 13C at 6am that has rapidly risen to 19C here on L'Ile Perrot. It will be a very warm and humid day with a 30 percent chance of afternoon showers and perhaps a rumble of thunder. Temperatures will try to hit 30C, already for the second time this year and we are only in May. A cold front will approach the area on Friday with a good chance of showers and thunderstorms likely. Temperatures will again be warm on Friday to 27C before drier and cooler air moves in for the weekend. Temperatures will cool into the mid 20's with sunshine for Saturday. Clouds will increase on Sunday with a chance of some showers.

F-0 Tornado

F-0 tornado (wind speeds 64 to 116km/h) captured near Orono, Ontario on Tuesday afternoon. (Global News Toronto via Twitter)

It sure was nice for the rain to hold off until the end of the long weekend here in southern Quebec. We had a sunny and hot weekend followed by some heavy rain on Tuesday. There were numerous thunderstorms around yesterday, but most produced heavy rain and little in the way of severe weather. The exception was near Orono, Ontario east of Oshawa where an F-0 tornado was reported around 5:20pm with no damage or injuries. Rainfall was quite heavy in places where the storms did occur yesterday. Around 25mm fell here at my place on L'Ile Perrot with about 23mm at the airport. As much as 50 to even 80mm was reported locally across both Eastern Ontario and western Quebec.

It will be a very mild and humid week with some clouds and fog around this morning, giving way to sunshine and high temperatures near 23C today. Thursday into this upcoming weekend will be warm and a touch on the humid side with some showers and perhaps a thunderstorm by late Friday. High temperatures will be near 28C for highs and the upper teens for lows, well above normal for May.

After the sun - heavy rain

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH - ENDED

Environment Canada at 3:05pm has posted a thunderstorm watch for the Montreal metro area and points southwest along the St. Lawrence River, as well as the Townships. Slow moving showers and thunderstorms with heavy rain are developing in Ontario and New York. The storms are moving slowly northeast along a cold front towards southern Quebec. Already 20mm has fallen on L'Ile Perrot. Storm totals will be in the 40-50mm range, or up to 2 inches. The storms will taper off by this evening.

Record high for Montreal



The "dog days of summer" in May!
My Bella tries to find a cool spot during record heat in Montreal today. The mercury hit 32C (90F) this afternoon here on L'Ile Perrot.

What an incredible holiday weekend it has been weather wise across southern Quebec and eastern Ontario. Temperatures under light winds and abundant sunshine soared to record highs today making it the third month in a row this spring that we have had record highs well into the summer range. The high here on L'Ile Perrot was 32C (90F). St Anicet southwest of the metro region was 34C (94F), while Montreal reached just over 31.2C (89F) beating the record of 31.1 set in 1975. Kemptville, Ontario also reached 31C breaking their record of 30C set in 1998. The warm air will remain in place for Victoria Day Monday but with a few clouds and highs a little cooler around 28C. A cold front with showers and thunderstorms arrives late Monday and into Tuesday with temperatures closer to normal for May.

Tropical Storm Alberto: Alberto continues to meander just off the Georgia and South Carolina coast with very little impact on land except for some rough surf and clouds. All watches have been lowered at this time. Alberto is drifting southwest but is expected to accelerate off to the northeast away from the coast on Monday. The storm has 45mph winds, but is in an area of strong wind sheer and colder water temperatures. No change is strength is expected before the storm moves away from land and dissipates by Thursday. Interests from northeast Florida to the Outer Banks should continue to monitor Alberto.

Tropical Storm Alberto

NOAA image of Tropical Storm Alberto south of the Carolina coast.

Usually I visit the Outer Banks of North Carolina each May in my quest to find my little piece of heaven on earth. Last year we had two straight weeks of sunny and hot weather with no rain at all. This year it was just not in the cards to visit or I would be somewhere in Maryland right this moment. Instead I am sitting at home watching the National Hurricane Center issue its first tropical advisory for 2012. Normally the Atlantic Hurricane season does not begin until June 1, however mother nature knows nothing about that and here we have our first named storm, officially, just minutes ago. As of 5pm we have tropical storm Alberto located about 120 miles south of Cape Fear, North Carolina. The storm developed a tropical nature late this afternoon with winds of 45mph and a central pressure of 29.74". Currently the storm is drifting southwest at 3mph but a more west to northwest movement is expected over the next 24 hours and a tropical storm watch may be needed for a portion of the Carolina coast including the Outer Banks by Sunday. Already high surf advisories were in effect for the Outer Banks with a pounding surf attacking the beaches. I will monitor this storm and provide updates later this evening.

TS Alberto is forecast to pass just southwest of Cape Hatteras by Tuesday afternoon. Usually during the last two weeks of May I would be on Hatteras Island, but our plans have changed for this year.

Spectacular Weekend

A rare solar eclipse will be visible in central and western Canada and the US this Sunday, weather permitting. We will see very little of it here in the St. Lawrence Valley. (AccuWeather.com)

The unofficial start of summer is here, Victoria Day Weekend, May 2-4, and a multitude of other names here in Quebec, whatever you want to call it, it is a day off. Time to dust of the BBQ, take the boat out and plant your summer flowers. Sunshine will dominate right through the entire weekend for southern Quebec, eastern Ontario and northern New England/New York with temperatures warming to near 30C by Sunday. We are chilly this morning with 8C at the airport for a low but much colder off island with lows near 0C is some locations. I recorded 2.7C here on L'Ile Perrot as my official low just before 6am this morning. It even went below freezing with some frost in the Adirondacks with Saranac Lake at -2C at 6am.

Temperatures will warm quickly today under bright sunshine with highs near 23C. Saturday we are looking at 26C and up to 30C both Sunday and Monday. On Monday stubborn low pressure that will be hanging along the Atlantic Coast from the Carolina's to New England this weekend, may send a few clouds into the extreme southern portion of Quebec. I don't think we will see any precipitation from this system.

Cool and dry

Thunderstorms rolling across Lake Champlain into Burlington, Vermont on Wednesday. (Burlington Free Press photo)

The warm and humid air has been pushed out into the Atlantic by yesterday's strong cold front. We are much colder this morning with temperatures as low as 3C in Ottawa and 6C here in Montreal. It will be a chilly day with lots of bright sunshine and temperatures warming up to 16C. Temperatures will be cold enough for frost tonight with advisories in place north and west of Montreal into the Gatineau Hills as well as the Adirondacks and Green Mountains.

Numerous weather warnings were issued by both Environment Canada and the National Weather Service on Wednesday. The thunderstorms produced lots of severe weather, mostly in the form of hail. There were dozens of reports of pea and marble size hail across southern Quebec including south shore St. Hubert where 2cm hail fell at the airport along with 80km/h winds.. The storms missed my location here on L'Ile Perrot with no rain recorded at all. The strongest storms affected the north end of Montreal into Laval. Another area of very strong storms developed rapidly in Clinton County in upstate New York, affecting Champlain and Lacolle in the border region. They then moved north and east into the Richelieu Valley. No storms are forecast through this upcoming Victoria Long Weekend with sunshine and warming temperatures both Saturday and Sunday. Holiday Monday is a little up in the air right now as the timing of another cold front comes into play. There will likely be a mix of sun and clouds along with showers and storms.

Strong thunderstorms today

Thunderstorm watch over

From weather.com, strong storms are possible today from the St. Lawrence Valley into New England and New York.

5pm Update: Most of the activity with today's cold front is well east of Montreal and into Vermont and eastern New England. The watch for Montreal and points west has been allowed to expire. Some strong storms did occur, especially in the north end of Montreal and the Richelieu Valley. Some hail  and heavy rain was observed. Here on the West Island we had some gusty showers with winds over 55km/h, but no thunder or lightning. I have yet to hear thunder this year.

We have a very humid and foggy morning in Montreal today as an unstable, mild and moist air mass is in place. Temperatures are around 13C here on L'Ile Perrot with a forecast high of 22C. The fog will burn off by mid morning and sunshine and warm temperatures are expected into the early afternoon. A strong cold front with a history of severe weather is forecast to move into Eastern Ontario around 2pm and sweep southeast across the St. Lawrence Valley and into upstate New York by 6pm. Yesterday this same front prompted tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings for northwest Ontario including Timmins. Along and ahead of the front look for showers and the occasional strong thunderstorm to develop. The storms will be capable of strong winds and even hail. The cold front should clear the area overnight with clearing skies on Thursday and much drier and cooler weather. At this time the long Victoria Day weekend looks awesome with sunshine and temperatures warming to the high 20's by Monday.

Summer humidity returns

Remember humidity? Well it is back. This morning we have a front just south of the St. Lawrence Valley that is pushing some clouds and showers across the region. It is muggy and will stay that way for the next 24 to 36 hours. On Wednesday a cold front will give us a risk of showers and thunderstorms. Temperatures will be mild, 20 to 23C unless we see some sunshine.

The Pacific tropical season starts today, May 15. Tropical storm Aletta formed a few hours before that last evening. The storm is gaining strength in the Eastern Pacific, 645 miles southwest of the Mexican coast. Winds are 40 mph, and the storm is no threat to land.

- A Valley Weather post using BlogPress from my iPhone

Warm sunshine today

That certainly was close to a perfect weekend for early May. Plenty of sun on Saturday helped sneak temperatures up to 26C around Montreal or very close to 80F. Some much needed showers late Saturday night helped to green up the grass and open the tulips for what turned out to be a glorious Mother's Day. The showers ended just after sunrise followed by rapid clearing by noon. That front has now slipped south of the border across the Adirondacks of New York and has become nearly stationary. You do not have to drive far down Interstate 87 to hit rain and lots of it. The front will remain the focus of steady rainfall across central and southern New York and New England before it lifts back north as a warm front by late Tuesday bringing southern Quebec more showers and thunderstorms. Until then it will be another sunny and warm day today with highs in the mid 20's. Once the threat for showers ends by Wednesday, warmer temperatures and sunshine will develop and last into next weekend.

Weekend Update

Montreal's protesting students resorted to terrorism yesterday as they set of smoke bombs in the metro. The smoke forced closure of the entire system during rushour driving commuters out into the chilly rain. (Montreal Gazette photo)

It seems quiet this morning in our Metro system after Thursdays smoke bombs. The devices managed to shut down the entire subway system on a chilly and showery day. Out came the umbrellas as thousands of commuters huddled at bus stops in the rain.

Skies are beginning to break up a little in Montreal this morning as a front associated with strong low pressure in Atlantic Canada, slides east of the city. Look for a sprinkle or two this morning followed by clearing skies. The warm May sun will rapidly warm temperature to 17C or 18C today. Clear skies tonight will allow for some frost well away from the metro region across the Townships and into Vermont. Saturday will be a glorious day with warm sunshine pushing temperatures into the 20's. That trend will continue into Sunday with just a hint of a front moving across the St. Lawrence Valley overnight Saturday. Again perhaps a cloud or sprinkle but skies will clear rapidly and it will be a sunny Mother's Day. Temperatures will be a little cooler Sunday, around 17C. Good news to start next week, temperatures look warm and the forecast looks dry. We will have to watch low pressure over Texas that is producing major flooding to an area that was in a severe drought, go figure. Anyway that system will move northeast towards the middle Atlantic and could play a role in our weather during the middle part of next week.

More clouds and showers

Wild photo of waterspouts off Grand Island on Louisiana's Gulf Coast on Wednesday. (NOLA.com)

It is official, May has not been very nice so far. We have had lots of clouds, about 70% of the time, and too many showers. We seem to be paying our debt to March and April for the above normal temperatures and sunshine. Just how warm was this past winter? According to Environment Canada, the third warmest since records began. The average temperature across Canada was 3.6C missing the overall record by less than 1/2 a degree.

Yesterday Montreal managed a humid high of 19C. There were numerous showers and thunderstorms across Ontario and into the Laurentians north and west of Montreal but they managed to avoid the city. This morning we have low pressure lifting north along the Atlantic Coast with rain falling rather heavily from eastern New England into the Maritimes. Some locations will see close to 75mm (3 inches) of rain today. Numerous locations in Coastal Massachusetts and New Hampshire had at least that overnight. We will remain under clouds from that system but the precipitation should stay east of the city. Gusty northwest winds and clouds will keep high temperatures down to 15C today. A few showers are possible overnight tonight and into Friday before skies clear out. We are looking at a mostly sunny and mild weekend, but we may see a few clouds and perhaps a stray shower late Saturday night.

We did have some active weather yesterday with small hail in Ontario during afternoon thunderstorms. There was also some waterspouts (tornadoes over water) in coastal Louisiana along Grand Island on the Gulf Coast. I posted a spectacular shot from NOLA.com above.

Rainy week

Morning radar image showing widespread rain moving north. It will be a wet day.

Dull headline I know, but that is pretty much the weather we can expect through Thursday. Today will be a washout as low pressure moves from the Great Lakes east and a warm front lifts across southern Quebec. With plenty of moisture streaming north from the Gulf of Mexico, look for a region wide steady rain with 20 to 30mm likely (0.75-1.25"). Once the front clears the area tonight we are looking at steady or rising temperatures from where they sit now at 13C in Montreal. We can expect some drizzle and fog overnight. On Wednesday it will be milder with a few breaks but also some showers and even thunderstorms in the afternoon. The showers will continue into Thursday before clearing on Friday. At this time the upcoming weekend looks perfect with sunshine and temperatures near 20C. The only hint of a change for the weekend is the potential development of low pressure along the east coast of the US. However at this time it looks like that system will remain east of southwestern Quebec.

Awesome Monday - rainy week

The super moon rising over Montreal Saturday. (The Weather Network)

It is a chilly morning across the region with temperatures close to the freezing point and some scattered frost in rural regions of northern New England and Southern Quebec. Here in Montreal we managed to avoid the frost as temperatures remained around 5C. We have since rapidly risen to 8C under warm sunshine and that trend will continue all day with highs around 21C. Sadly it will be the best day of the work week. Low pressure in the northern plains will move east and increase clouds across Ontario and Quebec this evening. That will be followed by abundant Gulf of Mexico moisture and steady rain all day Tuesday. Look for amounts of 20 to 30mm or either side of 1 inch of rain. Excellent for the grass and flowers, not so for outdoor activities. Clouds and showers and perhaps even some thunder will prevail for the balance of the week with clearing arriving by next weekend. It will be mild today, but chilly under clouds and rain on Tuesday with highs no better than 13C. Winds will also increase with this system out of the northeast to 40km/h.

It was a busy weather weekend across the country with snow and wind in southwest Saskatchewan and in the Calgary area with as much as 10cm reported. In Montreal we had a beautiful but chilly weekend with ideal conditions to watch the super moon rise over the city on Saturday night. The full flower moon was 14% larger and 30% brighter than normal. The cosmic show was brought about by what NASA described as the moons closest approach to earth while being in the full phase.

VIDEO: In Japan, a rare tornado destroyed homes and injured dozens with one fatality as it struck the suburbs of Tokyo.

Weekend Update

We are 0 for 4 in the sunshine department for May thus far. It has been a chilly and at times showery start to the month. Yesterday some warm air nosed into extreme southern Ontario with the temperature soaring to 31C in Windsor. Meanwhile eastern Ontario and Montreal remained as we are this morning, on the cool side of that warm front. More showers are occurring with the occasional rumble of thunder along the US border. Temperatures are in the low teens. The front should pass east of Montreal and allow for some partial clearing and warmer temperatures up to 22C today. A cold front will pass across the area this evening with some scattered showers and may a thunderstorm, again close to the US border. Skies will clear overnight and it will be a sunny but cool weekend with highs around 15C and lows close to 2C. There may even be some frost again Saturday night. Have agreat weekend.

Dense fog

Temperatures are a little milder this morning, but not warm enough to turn off the heat for good. Seems odd this year that we have the heat on in May and the A/C was on back in March. High pressure this morning is trying to nudge into the region after the showers and prolonged drizzle of yesterday and last night. Clouds are still thick with lots of fog across southern Quebec and Ontario this morning, and that will take some time to burn off. Once it does we can expect some partial sunshine and warmer temperatures close to 15C. We will add a few more degrees to that high tomorrow and Friday as we approach 20C. Sadly we will lose the sunshine as a warm front slowly moves across the region with showers and thunderstorms, followed by a cold front Friday and more thunderstorms. The weekend at this time looks fairly mild with a mix of cloud and sun. The storms will be of the garden variety in Quebec, but they could approach severe limits in southwest Ontario with heavy rain, gusty winds and dangerous lightning.

May flowers

The tulips and trees are popping everywhere this morning as a light rain helps them to burst onto the scene. A weather system passing to our south has pushed an area of showers across southern Quebec including Montreal this morning. I have measured about 5mm overnight with the heaviest rain remaining south of the border. Light rain will last until the early afternoon before tapering off. Cloud cover will keep the temperatures a little cooler than yesterday in the 10C range. Skies will try to clear out tomorrow, but I think lots of clouds will remain and we may even have a few sprinkles. A warm front is expected to approach the region late in the day and try top pass across the region on Thursday. We may see some showers and thunderstorms into Friday. Temperatures are forecast to warm into the low 20's by the weekend, assuming the front clears the city.

April 23, 2012, not in Quebec, but in western Pennsylvania, as most storms missed Montreal this past winter.

Below Normal Snowfall
A good friend of mine asked me yesterday how much snow we had this past winter. My reply was none, but I really did not have an accurate figure in mind. He guessed 125cm for the season and he was not far off. I scanned the records and all I could come up with was 128cm a paltry 52 inches or so. The normal for Montreal is nearly double that at 217.5cm. The worst month of this bizarre winter was April with officially only 0.4cm of snow. The most snow fell in January with 57.6cm. I used my snow blower on the driveway maybe three times, not even one tank of gas on the machine. As far as snowstorms go, really, not too many. I found only two days with 15cm (6 inches) or more of snow, December 5 and January 12th, tied at 16cm each. Most of the early storms were more ice than snow events, and with temperatures soaring into the high 20's in March, winter 2011/2012 was a non event.

Warmer week ahead

High pressure over the weekend provided us with a sunny and dry couple of days. Unfortunately it was cold and windy as well. Gusty northwest winds help to make it feel much colder than the plus 8 or 9C highs Montreal had. Frost warnings were posted all weekend but here on L'Ile Perrot those same winds managed to keep away the frost. It was chilly with lows below freezing the last three mornings including -1C this am. The only frost I managed to see was a little on the car this morning. It will warm quickly today under sunny skies and light winds to around 15C. The balance of the week will be somewhat unsettled but mild. We are looking at showers on Tuesday as a system passes well south of the border. Wednesday we may see some partial clearing before another round of showers and even some thunderstorms Thursday and Friday. It will be warm however with temperatures rising to near 20C by mid week.

Frost Warning

Overnight lows in degrees Fahrenheit for the border region. It will be cold with widespread frost in Quebec, Ontario and New England tonight. (NWS Burlington)

Cold high pressure is settling in behind a departing cold front and low pressure this morning. The storm system that gave the region rain last night is now strengthening over southern Maine. It is forecast to move across Atlantic Canada with heavy rain and even some snow across the lower St. Lawrence and Gaspe area.

Meanwhile in its wake much colder air is settling across southern Quebec and Ontario this morning. Temperatures have fallen with strong northwest winds this morning into the -1 to plus 3C range. With the wind it feels even colder making it rather raw and chilly for late April. Toss in a few snowflakes and we have an unseasonable Friday ahead of us. Things will clear out for the weekend with sunny and dry weather expected but it will be cold. Environment Canada has posted frost warnings for southwestern Quebec and the National Weather Service has them in effect for the St. Lawrence and Champlain Valley's of New York and Vermont where the growing season has started early. Overnight lows will drop to the -5 to -8C range, well below normal, and likely providing a heavy frost if not a solid freeze. If you have anything growing, cover them up to save them. High temperatures across the area under sunny skies will be cold, no warmer than 10C on both Saturday and Sunday.

Finally a little sun

Over 20cm of snow fell in Orangeville, Ontario on Monday. CBC News

Sorry folks it has been one of those weeks where life gets in the way of weather and blogging, and as I have said often before, I hate it when that happens!

It has been a dismal weather week with lots of clouds, showers, wet snow and even some small hail since Monday's strong storm moved across the region. That system is now well north of us over Hudson Bay giving blizzard conditions to far northern Quebec. Most of us had more rain from that storm in 24 hours than we had seen in the entire month of April. I measured around 42mm here on L'Ile Perrot with closer to 30mm at the airport. Just a trace of snow fell in Montreal, but as much as 10cm fell down the 401 in the Thousand Islands and over 20cm west of Toronto in Orangeville. The snow created a bunch of accidents closing the 401 for a spell as well as cancelling school buses for thousands of students in Ontario. Despite everybody being shocked, a glance at the record books shows it was not that unusual with many historic mid and late April snowstorms over the years in Ontario and Quebec.

Today we start of with some sunshine and chilly temperatures with a light frost here on L'Ile Perrot at 0C. We will have some brief sunshine however clouds are on the increase once again as low pressure in the Ohio Valley moves northeast across New York. Temperatures may warm to around 10C or so today. Look for rain to develop later today with winds increasing to 20-40km/h. Rain overnight may mix with a few flurries before ending by morning. Another 15-20mm of rain is likely as we continue to balance the precipitation books for the month. Slow clearing arrives Friday followed by a sunny but chilly weekend with cold lows well below freezing. If you planted early be prepared to protect that vegetation this weekend as widespread frost and freezing temperatures are likely across the entire area including metro regions. It will slowly warm up next week as we welcome May and hopefully real spring.

Nor'Easter continues

** The weather has resulted in school bus cancellations across Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Counties in Ontario as well as Cornwall and some in Leeds & Grenville.

Heavy Rain Warning for Montreal today.
High wind advisory for the St. Lawrence Valley
Snow in Ottawa.

The Nations Capital barely visible under a wet blanket of snow at 7am.

It will be a stormy day today across western Quebec, Eastern Ontario and New England as strong low pressure lifts north from the Jersey Shore into the central Adirondacks later today. Overnight Montreal had a mix of rain and very wet snow with a slushy coating on my car this morning that is rapidly being washed away. The rain was heavy at times with close to 30mm or over 1 inch here on L'Ile Perrot since 10pm. Temperatures were as low as 1C and are at a chilly plus 2C (36F) now. Winds are strong out of the northeast at 50km/h with a peak gust overnight to 71km/h at Trudeau Airport and they will continue to gust to 70km/h today.

While enough warm air is in place in Montreal for rain you do not have to go very far west to have snow. Along and west of the 416 corridor in Ontario including Ottawa a heavy wet snow has visibility down to 1km at times. From Prescott north through Kemptville to Ottawa and west a good 2-5cm of snow has fallen and will continue to fall today while mixing with rain at times. Roads are snow covered in places and travel is slow. It is raining in Toronto but south of the GTA in the Niagara Region and western New York heavy snow is developing and will accumulate 5 to 10 inches (up to 25cm) locally. The heavy nature of the snow will bring down trees and power lines. There is even a good chance of some thunder with the snow at times.

As the low moves northward a pronounced dry slot is working its way into the Champlain Valley and north towards Montreal. As a result we may see a break in the precipitation in Montreal later this morning. Look for a generally wet and windy day across the region with highs near 10C for Montreal south and east and between 2 and 5C for points north and west.

Heavy rain & snow

NOAA image this afternoon of the developing storm over the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Hatteras. Heavy rain and snow will spread north and west.

Environment Canada has issued a bunch of warnings for southern and central Quebec through Monday as two low pressure areas move into the region. The first is dropping across the Great Lakes and into the Ohio Valley, while a second more powerful storm will rapidly develop tonight near Cape Hatteras and race north to near Albany and eventually southern Quebec. Heavy rain warnings are posted for Montreal and southern Quebec tonight as precipitation will spread north and become heavy. It will be mixed with wet snow at times especially in eastern Ontario. Look for rainfall amounts of up to 50mm across the area with some wet snow accumulation as well on grassy surfaces. Further west the snow is expected to be the dominate precipitation type with a late season snowstorm for western New York including Buffalo south into western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Some locations may see up to a foot of heavy wet snow that will bring down trees and power lines. Wind will be another factor with this storm with Wind Advisories in effect for the St. Lawrence Valley. Gusts could easily exceed 70km/h (50 mph) across the area from the Thousand Islands northeast towards Quebec City.

The same storm is forecast to dump heavy rain up and down the eastern seaboard with coastal flooding all the way north into Atlantic Canada. Southern New Brunswick could see 100mm (4 inches) of rain with freezing rain across the north. In central Quebec heavy snow is forecast. This is a developing storm with still some uncertainty so check back later this evening.

Wet weekend update

It is chilly in Montreal this morning with some showers draped along the Quebec/Vermont border. A warm front will try to push north of Montreal today, until it does we will have northeast winds and chilly highs of around 9C. Once the front moves north of the city we should see a brief shot of warm air on Saturday that could push temperatures up to 18C. It will be short lived as a cold front and low pressure area will give rain late Saturday into Sunday. The big weather story then begins late Sunday night and lasts well into next week. A rather large coastal storm will develop near the Delmarva and move north and begin to affect New England, Quebec and Ontario. Lots of precipitation, as much as 50mm or more along with strong winds and cool temperatures are expected to start the work week. There is even a growing possibility of wet snow for some of us. The exact track and intensity of the storm is yet to be determined, so there are lots of details to sort out. Look for cloudy, damp and cool weather until at least Wednesday of next week.

Enjoy today - a wet weekend ahead

It will be another spectacular spring day in Montreal with a warmer southwest wind developing and temperatures rising rapidly to around 20C (68F) this afternoon. That will be quite a bit warmer than Wednesday when the mercury reached 11C in the city and around 12 to 15C off island. That high pressure will slowly drift off the Atlantic coast today allowing low pressure and a stationary front to establish itself over the area for the upcoming weekend. The first system in Michigan today will move along the international border on Friday with a period of showers and much cooler weather here in Montreal. By Saturday a cold front will approach the area with widespread rain expected. We may see some brief partial sunshine on Sunday before a much larger storm develops off the east coast near Virginia and moves north. This system will be the first coastal storm in quite some time to affect the region. Gusty winds, chilly temperatures and widespread rainfall, possibly up to 50mm (2 inches) may fall late Sunday into Monday. There is even a risk of some wet snow for places like the Adirondacks in northern New York. The track and details are still a little up in the air, but we do need the rain desperately in the area, so it would be welcome. In any event today will be near perfect - so get out and enjoy.

Frosty morning

It is hard to believe we are sitting below freezing in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto this morning after reaching nearly 30C (86F) on Monday. But here we are back to the gloves with a touch of frost on the ground and certainly on your front windshield. High pressure settled into southern Quebec and Ontario overnight with calm winds and cold temperatures. A widespread frost and in some cases a freeze has occurred across Michigan and Ontario south into Ohio and New York as well as most of Quebec. It could be worse, snow is still on the ground across northwest Ontario with as much as 40cm in some locations. Another round of snow, likely 10cm or so is forecast later today for that same area.

From AccuWeather.com a look at this weekends potential storm track.

Our weather will be controlled by high pressure into Friday with warming temperatures and just some high cirrus clouds. By Friday the weather will become increasingly stormy into the weekend and early next week. A complicated collection of systems will begin to affect southern Quebec, the most important being a potent low pressure area moving from the Gulf of Mexico up the eastern seaboard. This storm will have the potential to produce heavy rain with up to 50mm (2 inches) possible along the track. It is much needed rain so it will be welcomed to help lower the recent fire threat. It will however mean a wash out for the weekend at this time. Winds will be gusty and it will be chilly. It may even be cold enough for some wet snow in some elevated location and north of Montreal, but we will look at that a little closer as we move towards the weekend. In the meantime enjoy the sunshine, it will warm to 12C today and up to 18C on Thursday.

Summer vs Winter

UPDATE 12:30PM: I have two more record highs to add to the list, Kemptville hit 28.3C yesterday breaking the old record of 27.6C set in 2002, and Brockville was 28.4C, the old record from 1973 was 24.4C. Today, just 24 hours later, most places are in the cold plus 9 to 11C (48-52F) range with a strong west wind. From shorts to gloves! 

SUMMER
I really did not think we had a chance, but there it is, a new official record high for April 16 of 28.9C (85F) at Trudeau Airport, squeaking past the old record of 28.7C set in 2002. By my count that makes 6 record highs already this year for Montreal. There were dozens of other records smashed including 31.4C (88F) at St Anicet, 29.9C (86F) at St Anne's on the West Island and 29C (85F) at Lennoxville. I was at 31C here on L'Ile Perrot, and we had around 10mm of rain with the front last night. Temperatures all over the region nudged into the high 20's and low 30's, normal for mid July. Burlington, Vermont was still at 27C (80F) last night at 11pm! A strong cold front has chilled things way down this morning as we sit at 12C (54F) with a gusty west wind up to 50km/h. Temperatures will not move much today staying in the 13 to 15C range, but with plenty of sunshine. Winds will abate this evening and temperatures will drop to near freezing. As a matter of fact freeze warnings and watches are in effect for a large area of western New York and Ohio where the growing season is well underway.

Still serving fresh coffee, but the Tim's sign was no match for 100km/h wind gusts in Hamilton on Monday. (The Spectator)

That same cold front was the focus for strong southwest winds ahead of it on Monday. Winds gusted to over 95km/h across most of southern Ontario including 96km/h at London and Hamilton with 70 and 80km/h gusts in the GTA. The winds toppled trees, power lines and signs knocking out power to thousands of homes and businesses. It even knocked over a semi-truck on Highway 400 north of Toronto. The front also produced some scattered thunderstorms, but only showers rolled through Montreal in the middle part of the evening.

WINTER
The parent low pressure area of that cold front meanwhile was producing heavy snow and freezing rain across northern Minnesota into northwest Ontario including Thunder Bay where 3 hours of freezing rain was reported. In Timmins over 14 hours of ice snarled traffic and cut power. Atikokan had snow and lots of it with 27cm, while Kapuskasing recorded 32cm. The OPP had to close the Trans Canada Highway near Wawa because of severe winter weather.

Near record warmth - tornadoes

An all too familiar scene this spring is repeated this weekend across Oklahoma. Below right a tornado late Saturday in western Oklahoma.

It was another wild weekend across portions of the southern plains and Midwest US as nearly 125 tornadoes tore through several states. Some of the hardest hit communities are in western Oklahoma and southern Kansas spilling into Iowa. Woodward, Oklahoma reported all the deaths, 5 in total with hundreds more injured across the state. The storms fired up along a cold front Saturday with the deadliest storms occurring overnight into the wee hours of Sunday morning. The severe weather is part of a larger system that is delivering heavy snow and freezing rain to northwest Ontario including Thunder Bay and Geraldton. This system is also driving warm and humid air northeast into southern Ontario and Quebec today. High temperatures will approach record levels today in Montreal and across New England. Our record today is 28.7C set in 2002. We may just fall short of that with a forecast high of 27C (81F) expected. Highs could be as warm as 31C (87F) today in Boston where the Boston Marathon is being run. Participants have been advised to stay hydrated and pace themselves in the high heat. Runners with any respiratory issues are being told to rethink their participation today.

A cold front will approach Montreal and eastern Ontario late in the day today with some showers and perhaps a thunderstorm possible by late afternoon in Ontario and the supper hour or evening in Montreal. Any storms have the possibility of gusty winds and dangerous lightning. Tuesday will be nearly 20 degrees cooler with highs in the low teens. By the weekend a much stronger system coming up the east coast may provide us with a steady rainfall, which the region needs badly at this time.

Titanic 100 Year Anniversary

The ghostly image of the Titanic 2.5 miles below the frigid waters of the North Atlantic nearly 400 miles off the Nova Scotia coast.

We have struck iceberg, sinking fast, come to our assistance.
The distress call from RMS TITANIC at 11:55 PM, April 14, 1912. (Position Lat. 41.46 N Long. 50.14 W)

As I write this entry it is almost the exact moment 100 years ago that the SS Titanic out of Southampton, England hit an iceberg that would eventually lead to her sinking around 2:40am on the 15th of April, 1912. Sadly, as we all know 1500 souls were lost on that terrible night. By all accounts the voyage to that point was uneventful in the weather department. The waters of the Atlantic had been calm with sunny, mild days and starlit nights. The same held true the night of the collision, maybe a little too calm. The presence or lack there of any weather, or moon (new moon) for that mater would mean that any ice would have been difficult to spot. In addition to the calm, mirror like seas, it was a very cold night. The Titanic had sailed through a cold front earlier in the day that had left her in air temperatures right around the freezing point by 11:40pm. The water was frigid by some estimates almost as cold as -2C (28F). Sea water can reach temperatures below 0C without freezing due to the salt content. In water temperatures such as these survival would have been nearly impossible with death in minutes.

By comparison that night, Montreal was plus 5C (41F) on the 14th and dropped below freezing overnight. In St. John's, Newfoundland, the closest major centre to the Titanic disaster, cold temperatures prevailed behind the cold front with highs of plus 3C (38F) on the 14th and plus 4C (39F) on the 15th. In Halifax where many of the dead from Titanic are buried, and rescue and recovery efforts were launched, it was a mild 10C (50F) on the 14th. Temperatures in Halifax dropped quickly behind the same cold front that the Titanic had encountered, down to -4.4C (25F) by the morning of the 15th showing how cold the air was in the region. New York City where the Titanic was expected was also chilly and clear on the 15th.

Weekend Update

After the clouds, showers and hail of this past week, we have a spectacular Friday and Saturday on tap for southern Quebec and eastern Ontario. Sunshine today will allow temperatures to rebound nicely from near the freezing point this morning up towards 16C (61F) by this afternoon. Nothing but sunshine today with fairly light westerly winds. Winds will increase overnight and Saturday as a frontal system approaches from the southwest. Overnight lows will be milder than this morning, remaining around 5C (41F). On Saturday look for a breezy day with partial sunshine and highs near 16C once again. That frontal boundary will move into the region on Sunday with a few showers and perhaps a thunderstorm. Winds will be gusty up to 40km/h and highs will be near 17C (63F). On Monday a warm front will lift north of the region putting most of Ontario, New England and extreme southern Quebec in some very warm and even humid air. Highs will soar to around 23C (73F) in Montreal but as warm as 26C (79F) in parts of the St. Lawrence Valley. A cold front late in the day may trigger some showers and perhaps a rumble of thunder.

Sunday, April 15 in the wee hours of the morning, we mark a somber event, the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the HMS Titanic. The ship went down in under three hours after striking an iceberg. Nearly 1500 souls were lost that terrible night. Tomorrow's blog entry will feature a brief look at the weather that night not only at the crash site but also for comparison along the coast and here in Montreal.

One more showery day

We continue to have an upper level low spinning near Quebec City, the same one that was over the Atlantic Ocean last weekend. It will slowly drift south into northern Vermont today and eventually east back out to sea by Thursday. Here in southern Quebec and across eastern Ontario we are looking at one more day of showers. Yesterday afternoon the radar image resembled a popcorn machine with little kernels of instability bubbling up all over the place in the cool and humid air. We can expect the same today with a few very small sunny breaks early in the day followed by scattered to numerous showers and even some small hail. We did have a little hail in the late afternoon here on L'Ile Perrot yesterday.
This will be the last day of showers with a very slow clearing forecast for Thursday and warm sunshine by Friday. The temperature will be 10C today, followed by lows near 1C tonight. Friday and into the weekend we can expect much warmer highs near 16C.

Skiers enjoying the 19 inches of fresh powder at Killington, Vermont on Tuesday.

The big precipitation with this system has been falling across the high peaks of the Green Mountains. The oragraphic lift created by the northwest winds has produced steady and at times heavy snow showers with 19 inches so far at Killington Mountain and 15 inches at Jay Peak. The snow has been a blessing it what was otherwise a poor ski season in Vermont. It has allowed both resorts to open trails and welcome hoards of skiers looking for a final run. This was the biggest snowfall of the season in Killington.

Fire & Ice

The Killington web cam this morning showing over 1 foot of fresh snow down on the hills and still falling.

That pesky low pressure area that brought snow to Atlantic Canada on Easter delivered us a cloudy and cool Monday with periods of rain and showers totaling about 3mm in Montreal. It will be not better today with a chilly high of 8C and scattered rain and snow showers all day. Montreal may see a few breaks by late Wednesday and the system slowly drifts back to the east. The weekend looks to be sunny and much warmer at this time.

Large wildfires continue to burn in the dry brush of Long Island and New Jersey. (esaphotos)

The same system produced strong winds that brought down some trees in the Greater Toronto area. It also produced snow above 2000 feet in the Green Mountains of Vermont with a foot of fresh snow at Killington. The snow and any precipitation is welcome after what has been a very dry spring so far. Up until this latest rain and snow, precipitation had been scarce and forests and brush were tinder dry. Just last week alone firefighters in eastern Ontario responded to dozens of grass and brush fires across Leeds and Grenville and into Brockville and the Thousand Islands. Thankfully most were contained. Such is not the case across the middle Atlantic and Northeast where wildfires are raging. A big fire remains out of control in Suffolk County on Long Island. The fire has scorched over 500 acres including two homes, and injuring 3 firefighters. The fire was contained overnight as winds lightened but more gusty winds around that aforementioned low pressure will continue to produce ideal fire weather in Long Island and New Jersey today. Winds reached 43 mph on Long Island Monday and could gust to 30mph today

Showers or flurries & chilly

Low pressure is moving west into southern Quebec this week with flurries & showers.

I hope everyone had a great Easter, sadly, like many I return to work today. Also sadly like many as well, I have a cold. The annual spring tradition of colds racing around is in full swing as the ground thaws and releases all the nastiness back into the air.

The week starts off chilly with clouds, showers and temperatures in the 8C range for highs and 2 or 3C for lows in eastern Ontario and southwest Quebec. There may even be a few snowflakes across the regions northeast of Montreal and in the mountains of Vermont and New York. Stubborn low pressure that dealt the Maritimes an Easter Sunday snowstorm is retrograding (in weather terms, basically moving the wrong way) west towards northern Maine and eventually northern Vermont or extreme southern Quebec. It will take most of the week for the pattern to resume a more normal flow and sweep the low pressure area back east and out to sea. Until then look for lots of clouds, temperatures below normal, a chilly wind and showers scattered around at any time into at least Wednesday if not Thursday.

From CBC.ca, snow covered Easter flowers in Chester, Nova Scotia.

It could be worse, large portions of Atlantic Canada including Halifax awoke yesterday to 20cm of wet snow. The snow caused travel headaches for those trying to make it to church services or grandma's house as well as power outages. The storm is producing more snow today in the mountains of Vermont and New Hampshire as well as the Beauce area. Strong winds and high astronomical tides are producing flooding along the St. Lawrence River near the Gaspe Peninsula and as far southwest as Quebec City.

Weekend Update - AB snow

Edmonton and portions of Alberta were hit by a big snowstorm on Thursday. (Edmonton Sun)

Of Note: A Red Flag Warning is in effect for all of upstate New York and most of Vermont. Gusty north winds and very low relative humidity combined with a very dry spring and lack of snow cover has created a high fire danger. Now we don't have similar warnings on this side of the border but keep in mind the same conditions exist. We are very dry and any outdoor burning is not advised in eastern Ontario and southern Quebec.

The weather has become active again for portions of Canada. First we had a big storm slide north across Alberta on Thursday. The system dumped a heavy wet snow on Edmonton with 10cm at the airport but as much as 25cm in portions of the city. Calgary had 10cm. Visibility was very poor most of the day and numerous power outages were reported as wires came down under the weight of the snow.

This morning another strong storm is moving from Montana north into Saskatchewan by later today. The deepening low pressure area will give heavy snow and increasing north winds to Montana and southern Saskatchewan. Snow will accumulate between 15 and 30cm locally with winds gusting to 70km/h producing poor travel. The National Weather Service in Glasgow, Montana has issued a Blizzard Warning for this afternoon and tonight and is advising against travel overnight. Winter Storm Warnings are in effect for Moose Jaw and southwest Saskatchewan.

Meanwhile the weather in Montreal and southern Quebec will be controlled by advancing high pressure that will provide a sunny but chilly Good Friday. Later today, low pressure will be gathering steam along the east coast near the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This storm will move north and then west into eastern Quebec by Sunday. A maritime block is preventing this system from moving northeast and it may actually back (retrograde) into Quebec by Monday. We could see an increase in winds and cloud cover by late Sunday along with some showers of flurries to start next week.

If you think Montreal is immune to big April snowstorms, think again. There have been many but one that stands out for me was between April 3-6, 1975. Montreal had a massive winter storm (primarily on April 3rd) with 33cm of snow, winds gusting to 87km/h and visibility of under 1km for nearly 15 hours. The pressure bottomed out at 983mb as this big storm swept from the US Midwest across the Ohio Valley and into southern Quebec.

Dallas tornado - Alberta snow

There is weather out there despite the calm nature of things here in southern Quebec. Skies were partly cloudy on Tuesday with temperatures around 10C. We will see much the same today with partly cloudy skies but an outside chance of a shower or two as a weak cold front advances across the region. Winds are forecast to increase this afternoon to between 30-50km/h from the northwest. They will continue into the overnight with a chilly low of 0C. The Easter long weekend at this time looks perfect with slightly above normal temperatures and bright sunshine all weekend.

A fierce tornado near Lancaster, Texas on Tuesday.

You have to head south or west to find the active weather. Strong low pressure in the Rockies was responsible for driving a potent cold front across Texas on Tuesday. That combined with deep moisture from the Gulf of Mexico set up the perfect conditions for severe weather. At least two large tornadoes swept across the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex with widespread damage reported. One storm near Lancaster, Texas was filmed throwing large semi trucks into the air as if they were no more than toys. According to CNN and lot owner Wisconsin-based Schneider National Trucking Co. there were no injuries at the facility, but there was significant damage to the building and equipment. A tractor weighs 20,000 pounds. An empty trailer weighs 14,000 pounds, while a full one weighs about 46,000, the company said. Unreal power! Nearly 150 homes were damaged in Arlington, Texas and 110 aircraft were damaged at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport forcing its closure and stranding thousands of passengers. The National Weather Service said that between 6 and 12 tornadoes occurred in north Texas with teams spreading out today to survey damage and solidify the total. Despite the ferocity of the storms only three injuries have been reported so far.

Watch the full video HERE.

From WFAA Dallas, a semi is thrown through the air with ease during a tornado on Tuesday.

 SNOW: Meanwhile in Alberta it is a return to winter with heavy snow forecast for Calgary and Edmonton as well as the surrounding areas of northern and western Alberta tonight and Thursday. A low pressure moving north through the province will give 10-20cm of snow to the region with strong winds causing near zero visibility in blowing snow. Just another spring day in Alberta.

Chilly start to day

Yesterday's rain combined with temperatures just below freezing early this morning have created the ideal ingredients for black ice. Combine that with the morning rush hour traffic and the result has been numerous accidents including a multi-vehicle collision that has closed Highway 20 in Pointe Claire on the West Island of Montreal. It is just a very thin layer but still enough to ice the roads and make driving very dangerous. It will melt quickly with the rising sun, however for the moment it remains slippery as we sit at -3C here on L'Ile Perrot.

Montreal had between 3 and 5mm of rain on Sunday as a weak weather system moved southeast across the region. It has been replaced today by high pressure that will provide us with sunny skies and seasonable highs at 8C into Tuesday. Another weak area of low pressure will move across the area on Wednesday following a similar path as yesterday's low and providing southern Quebec and the region with a few flurries or showers. Afterwards we are looking at stronger high pressure settling in for the Easter Long Weekend, and providing the entire area with sunny skies and warming temperatures to near 16C by Easter.

Typical late March weather

It may seem cold to many, but this is pretty much what late March in Montreal should look and feel like. If anything we are still well ahead of the curve. I can remember may years where piles of melting snow was still all around us. We have also had many notable April snowstorms. It will be a cloudy and damp day again today with some scattered flurries or showers. Skies will slowly clear out tonight as high pressure moves into Ontario and Quebec with a mainly dry and cool start to the weekend. The exception will be south of a line from Kingston through the GTA and into southwest Ontario where low pressure south of the Great Lakes may bring some snow and rain Friday afternoon. If your travels take you that way keep this in mind as enough snow may fall around Hamilton to London to cover the roads. Yesterday snow fell northeast of Montreal in Quebec City and southeast into the Beauce region. As much as 10cm of snow fell in places from southern Quebec into northern Maine and New Hampshire.

In the temperature department we were normal yesterday at around 5C, and that pretty much is what we will see today and Friday. The weekend will be a little milder pushing 10C.

Damp & Chilly

This is why we should not get too excited about 25C in March! A dusting of snow on L'Ile Perrot this morning. (ValleyWX Pic)

 The temperature in Montreal and here on L'Ile Perrot this morning is right at the freezing point. An area of low pressure will move from Lake Superior southeast to northern New York today. It is a rather weak system and moving into some very dry air, but that has not stopped some light snow and rain from occurring in the region this morning. Montreal had a coating of snow overnight, enough to cover the cars, roofs and grassy areas. This is quite a shock to the system after the summer weather of last week. Another area of moisture on radar is moving into Ottawa and Eastern Ontario at this hour and falling in the form of freezing rain. Environment Canada had issued a freezing rain warning for Ottawa and southern and western Quebec including metro Montreal this morning, but it has since expired. As much as 5mm of freezing rain fell locally this morning before temperatures warmed to above freezing. Look for a rather cloudy 24 hours with some showers or flurries and chilly. Another 1-3cm of snow is quite possible overnight tonight especially in the higher elevations of the Townships and Vermont. Skies will clear by Friday with a slow warming trend into the weekend.

Snow

Don't panic but snow is on the menu for tonight in southern Quebec and eastern Ontario. We had a very cold start to the day with temperatures down to -8C at the airport early this morning, a far cry from the low teens last week at this time. Highs today under bright sunshine should warm nicely to 3 or 4C before falling back to -3C by midnight. A low pressure area is forecast to cross the Great Lakes and then move along the US border on Wednesday. Light precipitation is expected with this track with some light snow starting overnight and mixing with freezing rain and rain by mid morning Wednesday. We are not looking at much in the way of accumulations, but perhaps a dusting to 2cm locally in Montreal and Ottawa. That will be enough to cover the grassy areas and perhaps make the roads a little slick. Remember folks it is still March. A mild and dry weekend is forecast at this time as high pressure move over the area with normal temperatures.

Much colder

Reality has settled back into southern Quebec and Ontario this morning with temperatures in the -2C to -4C range and really not going anywhere today. Gusty northerly winds overnight along with a strong cold front are responsible for the colder air with temperatures over 25 degrees colder than last Monday. Despite the blustery chill today, it will be sunny and dry. The week looks rather mundane with just a few flurries or showers mid week as a weak system skirts along the US border. Otherwise it will be cold to start and gradually warming up by the weekend. The big news today will be the cold with temperatures dropping to -9C in the city tonight and even colder off island. Quite a shock to the system after the record highs of last week.

Winter is taking back March over most of the country with heavy snow and strong winds forecast across southern Saskatchewan late tonight and Tuesday, spreading east into Manitoba. Meanwhile a strong low pressure area is forecast to develop east of Cape Cod and move north towards Atlantic Canada. Heavy snow and strong winds are forecast in New Brunswick, the Gaspe region and portions of Nova Scotia by Tuesday. I will post more on these storms later today including warnings and watches.

Weekend Update

Well it looks like our streak of record warm days will come to an end at 5 here in Montreal. We have an outside shot at today's record high which was 18.6C set in 1979, but it is a long shot with a forecast high at 16C. A weak cold front slipped south of the region late yesterday accompanied by a few light showers and a rumble or two of thunder. Today will be sunny, breezy and dry with temperatures about 10 degrees colder than Thursday, but still 10 above normal. On Thursday Montreal reached 23.9C beating the old record of 15C set in 1946. Hundreds of other records fell all over the area as a matter of fact we had record high temperatures from Saskatchewan clear across the the Atlantic Coast. Locally Kemptville reached 24.5C (16.7 - 1953), and Ottawa 24.9C (15.6 - 1953).

The weekend looks unsettled and much cooler as low pressure moves from the Dakotas into the Great Lakes and eventually south of Montreal. There is not much moisture with the system but it will bring cloud cover as well as cooler temperatures and a few showers on Sunday. Temperatures will be 16C today, but only 9C on Saturday and even cooler Sunday around 5C. While temperatures are much colder, this is seasonable for March. Next week it looks like things will warm again to above normal, but not the hot weather of this past week.

Warmest March day on record

Global Warming? Just another March day in Ontario and Quebec. CTV.ca

After reviewing the data from Wednesday, Environment Canada has listed the official high at Trudeau Airport in Montreal at 25.8C or about 78F. This makes it the warmest Montreal March day since record keeping began back in the early 1900's and edges a 67 year old record of 25.6C set in 1945. I would say this spell of warm weather now qualifies as historic. The icing on the spring/summer cake is today as we have already broke the record high of 15C set in 1946, the 5th day in a row. Montreal was still at 17C as the new day started so the record was broken in the wee hours of the morning. With advancing cloud cover today and a few showers and thunderstorms forecast, we should make it to about 22C, still an incredible 17 degrees above the normal high for March 22.

Hundreds of records fell all over Ontario, Quebec and New England yesterday, too many to mention. Some notables were 27C at St. Anicet/Lancaster, 27.4 at Ottawa, and 81F at both Massena, NY and Burlington, Vermont. One of the warmest temperatures in the country was an incredible 28.8C (84F) at Petawawa in Ontario. That destroyed the previous record of 12.2C set in 1976 and was 23 degrees above normal.

Reality will very slowly settle back in this weekend with more normal air moving into the region and temperatures settling down to the single digits for highs and possibly below freezing for lows by Sunday.

Historic heat

By now everybody knows just how lame this past winter was in most of North America, with just a few exceptions. That snow less winter is setting up historic heat to start spring. Montreal broke another long standing temperature record on Tuesday smashing the previous one in the process. The high at Trudeau Airport was 23.5C (I had 25C here on L'Ile Perrot) eclipsing the old one of 13.9 set in 1946. It was part of nearly 200 record highs set across Ontario and Quebec since Monday, and hundreds more across the US. Both Milwaukee, Windsor, ON and Burlington, Vermont hit 80F yesterday, the earliest on record. Toronto set a new daytime high at 21C (19C - 1918), and Ottawa 25.8C (14.6C - 1995). Massena and Cornwall both hit record highs of 79F (26C), while Kemptville was 25.5C.

We will easily smash today's record of 16.7C set in 1946, most likely by noon if not sooner, that is the consolation prize. We are heading for the big prize today, the warmest March day on the books dating back to the 1800's. That temperature was 25.6C set on March 28, 1945. Montreal is forecasting 26C.

All this heat is creating some oddities, such as budding trees and popping tulips, nearly 6 to 8 weeks ahead of schedule. It has also meant a dismal maple season with most trees not producing sap any longer, having done so in some cases for less than a week. Conditions are also starting to dry out rapidly with very little precipitation this winter, and this is increasing the threat for grass and brush fires in some rural locations. We are also experiencing an early bout of smog in some major cities such as here in Montreal and Hamilton. Strong high pressure will give us two more hot days with mild overnights before a cold front snaps us back into reality by Friday and certainly Saturday night when we may see a snowflake or two and below freezing temperatures.

Spring is here

NEW Record High of 23.3C for Montreal

Spring arrived in the wee hours of the morning at 1:14am EDT. Today will be more like summer with temperatures at levels normally observed in mid May. It is a cool start to the day with temperatures around 3C across the area, still well above the normal low of -5C. Temperatures on warm southwest winds and bright sunshine will soar to record values once again today and tomorrow with highs expected near 24C. The normal high for March 20 is 4C, last year the best we could do was 3C and we were awaiting snow which would dump up to 10cm on southern Quebec. Not the case this year as record warmth has spread across the eastern third of North America with the exception of the immediate coast. Yesterday Montreal reached 20.1C by noon smashing the previous record of 15.7C set in 2010. Today's record is decades old at 13.9C set in 1946, and we will likely break that by noon. It could have been even warmer yesterday, but a back door cold front capped temperatures just after lunch here in Montreal, and produced some rather strong thunderstorms over New York state. In Ottawa the high was 24.8C breaking the 2010 record of 16C.

An AMA web cam showing heavy snow and zero visibility on the Trans Canada near Medicine Hat on Monday afternoon.

Alberta Blizzard
It is not summer everywhere. A strong low pressure area moving north from the Rockies crossed Montana and extreme eastern Alberta yesterday with heavy snow. Up to 25cm fell in southeastern Alberta and extreme Western Saskatchewan. The snow was accompanied bu strong winds of over 70km/h producing blizzard conditions that forced closure of the Trans Canada Highway from Brooks east towards Saskatchewan. The visibility in Medicine Hat was well under 1km for over 7 hours. Power was also knocked out in places as the heavy wet snow brought down lines. The snow is now over northern Saskatchewan.