Montreal, Que., will finally see accumulating snow this week, and frigid air
April 2024 was the last time Montreal, Que., saw accumulating snow, but that could finally change this week as there will be another chance for the major city to record some accumulations
With Montreal, Que., seeing its warmest fall on record, it makes sense it has yet to see any accumulating snow. But that is about to change this week with an inbound Alberta clipper.
Shots of Arctic air will continue to plunge south into Central Canada and spread east this week, with the focus of the coldest weather shifting through early December.
RELATED: Coldest air of the season to push into Canada to start December
An Alberta clipper spills eastward this week, bringing the first real snowfall to southern Quebec and the Montreal area. Totals up to 20 cm are possible in regions such as the Laurentians, while 5 cm is expected in parts of Montreal.
Needless of where you are, at least some travel impacts are to be expected, so plan ahead if you are doing any travelling during the period of snow.
This week:
A clipper moving in from the Prairie will head into western Quebec Wednesday morning, and then make its way to the St. Lawrence region for midday.
The snow starts in Gatineau around the noon hour, and then the early afternoon for Montreal and evening for the Eastern Townships, respectively.
Areas near Mont Tremblant and the Laurentians will see 10-20 cm of snow, whereas some parts of Montreal could see 5 cm, with lesser amounts in the southnern end of the city.
There will be help from the higher elevations in the Eastern Townships which could bring some areas above 10 cm of snow. In eastern Quebec, some of the lower-north shores of the province could see up to 30 cm, mainly in Sept-Îles.
Slippery road conditions with accumulating snow can be expected as temperatures hover around the freezing temperature mark.
Temperatures will remain below freezing on Wednesday, but they will just crack the freezing mark on Thursday. That will occur just after Montreal recorded its first -5°C of the season Monday morning, its fourth-latest on record.
As the clipper departs the region, the coldest air of the season thus far will spread into the region, bringing a strong, northwesterly wind gusting to 60+ km/h on Thursday. Thursday night and Friday morning will bring the coldest temperatures of the week.
A weaker clipper will bring a few cm of snow to the region late Friday night and Saturday. The first -10°C reading this season for Montreal is forecast for this weekend.
However, milder and changeable temperatures are expected for next week. Then, a more active pattern is expected during the middle of and in late December, with the potential for messy systems and rain, as this region will become the battleground between the Arctic air to the northwest and much milder weather to the south.
Thumbnail courtesy of Ritza Vieux, taken in Montreal, Que.
Stay tuned to The Weather Network for the latest forecast updates for Quebec.
