Monday, October 17, 2016

Warm, windy, wet week ahead for southern Quebec

The frontal rain predicted for late Sunday arrived a few hours earlier and put a damper on outdoor activities to end the weekend. Close to 13mm (0.5 inches) of rain fell in Montreal. Despite the clouds and rain, temperatures remained warm. The high on Sunday was 18C (65F), while the normal high/low should be 12/3C. As the cold front clears southern Quebec this morning, look for sunshine to develop along with mild temperatures, highs near 16C (60F). A warm front will lift north into the St. Lawrence Valley tonight, with clouds increasing near sunset. Showers with perhaps a rumble of thunder, are expected to develop after midnight. Temperatures will again be mild, near 10C (50F). Tuesday will be an unseasonably warm and windy day, with high temperatures into the middle 20's, depending on how much sunshine develops. Gusty southwest winds will exceed 50km/h in Montreal. Cooler unsettled weather is forecast by the end of this week, with more October-like temperatures dropping into the single digits, and perhaps a decent amount of rain by Friday and Saturday.

A large tree lies across a home in southern BC, after 100km/h wind gusts hit the region from Friday through Sunday. (TWN/Twitter Abbotsford Police)
Stormy West
While it has been rather quite and mild in eastern Canada, the west has been stormy and, in some cases, snowy. Several October snowstorms have impacted Alberta and Saskatchewan. Heavy snow fell last Friday in Edmonton, resulting in numerous accidents from unprepared drivers. Amounts ranged from 10-20cm across central Alberta. On the B.C. coast, strong winds gusted over 100km/h, producing pounding surf and toppling trees and power lines. Widespread damage was reported from southern B.C. into Washington and Oregon. A total of three storms knocked out power to over 200,000 B.C. homes. Ferries were cancelled and at least one fatality was reported. Between 100 and 300mm of rain has fallen during the three-storm event.

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