Seasonal week expected in Montreal

Richelieu River flooding near Sabrevois, Quebec over the weekend. (CBC News)

After 144 days of snow cover here on L'Ile Perrot, the last piece of icy snow melted away from my front lawn this past Saturday. Officially at Trudeau Airport, the end came April 4. I never thought winter would finish this year, but it did and rapidly in the end. Even most of the ice is gone from the rivers and lakes around southern Quebec. I was in Sherbrooke on the weekend and it is amazing just how high and how fast the water on the St Francois River came up last Wednesday. It has since receded but left behind are tons of broken trees lining the river, piles of mud and lots of water logged personal effects sitting in the driveways of residents right along the rivers edge. The clean up will take some time. Currently most rivers are on the way down, even Lake Champlain has stabilized at 100.4 feet, but flooding is still being observed along the New York/Quebec border as well as high water levels in the Richelieu Valley. A flood watch remains in effect for those locations. The forecast does have more rain in it after a rather chilly but pleasant Easter weekend. Expect partial sunshine today with a high near 17C (63F). Clouds thicken early this evening followed by a period of rain overnight and mild lows near 8C (47F). Tuesday will be showery and breezy with the passage of a cold front and a high near 17C. Skies will slowly clear for Wednesday, but it will be colder with high temperatures near 9C (48F).