Slow start to shipping season on the St. Lawrence Seaway

The bulk carrier Juno ran aground on the US side of the St. Lawrence Seaway near the Thousand Islands Bridge and Alexandria, New York on Monday. Officials will try to free the ship today. In the meantime Seaway traffic has been stopped. (USCG Photo)

Another large freighter has run aground in the St. Lawrence Seaway system, this one near the Thousands Islands International Bridge at Ivy Lea, Ontario. The ship is actually on the US (New York) side of the river just feet from the shoreline and several homes. Unlike the incident near Montreal at the start of April, this one seems to be mechanical in nature and not weather related. The 190 metre (620 foot) long Juno is flagged under Barbados and was hauling sugar to Toronto when it struck the shore around 1:00 am Monday morning. Thankfully no injuries were reported but there is damage to the ship as she hit land hard. The US Coast Guard and several tugs will attempt to free the boat today. In the meantime ship traffic has come to a halt along the Seaway. The Seaway has had a rough start to the 2015 season as a result of the two incidents and thick ice.

Soggy Weather
Just remember, April showers do bring May flowers, and we do need the rain. It has been a soggy start to the week with about 13mm of rain on Monday and another 14mm of rain overnight. It rained heavy at times on L'Ile Perrot in the wee hours this morning. There was even some lightning and thunder not too far south of Montreal along the New York border. Light rain will taper off by noon with even some partial sunshine this afternoon. Any sun will help the temperature warm to around 14C (56F). It will likely be the best day of the week as a stubborn, slow moving area of low pressure drifts from the northern Great Lakes across southern Quebec. The system will produce clouds and scattered rain and snow showers across the entire region into the upcoming weekend. It will trend a little cooler with highs near 9C (49F) and lows near 5C (41F) into the weekend. It won't be a complete washout but the weather will be less than ideal. Sunshine will finally return in full force by next Monday.