Much warmer weather on the way for Montreal

The snow that fell overnight in southern Quebec may be the last of the season. (ValleyWX)

The snow that fell here on L'Ile Perrot overnight may well have been the last of the season. That meandering front that has been with us all week will move north today as a strong warm front. Low pressure developing over Colorado will move northeast across the Great Lakes and north of Montreal and bring with it a major pattern change. We can expect some sunshine early today through increasing clouds. Overnight expect rain to develop, which could be heavy at times. There may even be a rumble of thunder, a sure sigh of Spring! Temperatures will warm to 9C (49F) today and drop to 4C (39F) overnight. On Friday expect more rain and very windy but with mild temperatures near 14C (56F). Winds may gust in excess of 70km/h in the afternoon. The weekend at this time looks sunny with warming temperatures. The high Saturday will be 8C (48F) and Sunday 13C (55F). Peeking into Monday, more sunshine with a very pleasant high of 18C (65F). I can finally say goodbye to the remaining snow on my lawn!

The system bringing us the rain tonight has prompted a wide area of warnings from southern Ontario into western Quebec. Heavy rain is expected with perhaps as much as 50mm (2 inches) later today into Friday. The rain, along with melting snow and ice, may create some flooding problems in some localities. In addition to the rain, heavy wet snow and perhaps freezing rain is possible in northeast Quebec and northern New Brunswick. A winter storm watch is in effect for the regions north and east of the Saquenay region. 

In the central US the problem will be severe weather. Strong thunderstorms are likely from Oklahoma into Missouri and Illinois with the potential for large hail and isolated tornadoes. Thunderstorms are possible across a wide swath of the eastern US into southern Ontario today.