Spring arrives with snow, slippery roads in Montreal

The first day of spring is arriving more like mid-winter in Montreal, as a burst of snow is set to create tricky travel conditions across the region today.

Clouds will thicken through the morning before snow begins near noon, with about 5 centimetres expected in the city and up to 10 centimetres in surrounding areas. At times, snowfall rates could reach 2 centimetres per hour, reducing visibility and quickly covering roads. The system will sweep from west to east through the afternoon, making for a messy commute.

“Most areas will see about three to five centimetres today,” said Simon Legault, meteorologist at Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)

Winds will shift to the northeast at around 20 km/h, with a high of minus–2 Celsius and a wind chill near minus–9 C, adding to the wintry feel despite the change of season.

Snow will taper off this evening, with a chance of flurries early tonight before partial clearing overnight. Temperatures will fall to minus–5 C, with a wind chill near minus–11 C.

A brief taste of spring returns Saturday, with clearing skies and a high of +4 C, but the reprieve will be short-lived.

“There’s another system moving in later this weekend, beginning around midnight Saturday,” said Legault. “That snow will continue from overnight Saturday into early Sunday afternoon, bringing total accumulations of about five to 10 centimetres over the weekend.”

“It’s far from a major storm and will gradually taper off through the day,” added Legault.

Snow is expected to redevelop Saturday night, followed by flurries Sunday and continued snow into Monday, keeping the wintry pattern in place for the start of the new season.

“Temperatures will stay cold and below normal through the end of the month,” said Legault. “We should start to see a shift in March into April, with milder conditions becoming more noticeable in early April.”