Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Relief on the horizon

Flood waters are rising again along the Richelieu River south of Montreal. (Dario Ayala - The Gazette)


It was as miserable, windy and cold a Monday in May as you can have yesterday. The temperature did not move much from an overnight low of 6C to a daytime high of 7C here in Montreal. Winds were steady all day in the 40 to 50km/h range making it feel raw and cold. Oh and the rain, nearly 75mm has fallen across southern Quebec since Saturday with about 57mm in Montreal. The rain has increased flows on rivers and streams across the border regions with New York and Vermont. The Richelieu River is expected to rise between 15-25cm over the next day or so in response to runoff. More flooding is forecast for the rest of this week. The same holds true south of the border along the shores of Lake Champlain.

The cause of this weather is slow moving low pressure trapped in all levels of the atmosphere moving along the east coast. The moisture continues to feed into the region with more wind, drizzle and cold weather expected today. Some relief is in site by the upcoming Victoria Day long weekend with sunshine and warmer weather by Saturday with just the risk of an isolated shower.

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