Short term warming trend ahead for Quebec

A NASA image of the frozen Great Lakes taken on February 26. As you can see only portions of Lake Ontario and the middle of Lake Michigan are ice free. It is estimated that almost 90% of the lake surfaces are frozen over, the most since February 1979. Also Niagara Falls has slowed to a trickle due to ice build up.

It was another cold morning in Montreal with temperatures down to -17C (2F) on L'Ile Perrot. We had 1-2cm of very light snow late yesterday, ending around midnight. The light snow and cold temperatures were just enough to produce some icy travel, especially south of the city this morning. There was a rash of accidents along Highway 30, but the warm March sun has taken care of that this afternoon. Temperatures today will be around -10C (14F) for a high. Tonight will be frigid with near record lows of -21C (-6F) in the city but much colder away from urban areas. The weather looks fairly quiet into the weekend with temperatures moderating to above freezing by Friday with a high of plus 1 or 2C (33-35F). Looking ahead no major storms are on the horizon at this time. The warm up this weekend will not last long with another shot of chilly air and below normal temperatures expected next week. The extended forecast for the balance of March and into early April looks to be colder than normal for southern Quebec. It is not surprising with so much snow and ice around that Spring will be delayed.