If you are one of the few who had hoped to see snowflakes fly just one more time in Montreal, then you are in luck. Otherwise, turn away now from this forecast. After what has been a fairly warm month, we are looking at the potential for accumulating snow this Wednesday.
A special weather statement is now in effect for portions of the region, mainly the Eastern Townships and Quebec City, for up to 15cm of wet snow from late Wednesday into Thursday. Less snow is expected at this time in Montreal, perhaps 5cm, but still enough to make travel difficult, especially for those who have removed their snow tires.
High pressure will dominate the weather picture for the upcoming week across southern Quebec. Stubborn low pressure over Nova Scotia will ensure a damp, cool week for Atlantic Canada and portions of eastern Quebec, while allowing high pressure to remain stationary over our region. Some shower activity may even drift westward into the Eastern Townships. As far as Montreal is concerned, we will have nothing but sunshine, along with increasing warmth.
Our snowstorm forecast for last Thursday turned out to be a non-event, as the system remained well to the east of Montreal. Portions of the Townships and Vermont reported as much as 10cm of snow, while Montreal managed less than 1cm. The sun returned by the end of the day followed by a very pleasant weekend, cold Friday and Saturday, but warming up nicely on Sunday.
UPDATE: April 1 - 8:15AM: I guess Mother Nature has pulled an April Fools joke on us, as there is no snow on the ground in Montreal this morning. The low pressure system in question has moved further east along the Atlantic coast. The storm is also moving along at a faster clip. Both these factors will lower the forecast quantities of snow greatly for the Montreal region. The storm is already in the Gulf of Maine, moving quickly into Atlantic Canada today.
Currently rain has changed to light wet snow across southwestern Quebec. The snow will taper off quickly after lunch from west to east. Look for 1-4cm for Montreal at the most, with 3-5cm along the South Shore, and up to 10cm in Quebec city and Sherbrooke. Only flurries are expected in eastern Ontario. Conditions will improve rapidly this afternoon.
Today is the 50th Anniversary of the Montreal Blizzard of 71. The 1971 storm continues to draw numerous comments to my posts through the years. I have shared a few