Montreal’s getting hammered with snow today & the rest of the week doesn’t look much better

After a weekend of brutally cold weather, Montreal is getting pummeled by a major snowstorm this morning. As a result, a handful of schools across the island closed, and numerous flights were cancelled at Montréal-Trudeau Airport.

Environment Canada has issued a snowfall warning for the Montreal area, with an additional 5 to 10 centimetres expected to fall throughout the day. The weather agency is warning of snowfall rates reaching 1 to 2 centimetres per hour, with powdery snow being easily carried by winds and creating locally reduced visibility.

The combination of heavy snow and brutally cold temperatures — with wind chills currently sitting at -25°C — is creating treacherous conditions on Montreal roads. Environment Canada is specifically warning of “significant impact on rush hour traffic” and advising commuters to allow extra time for travel.

The storm has also knocked out power to 2,842 addresses across Montreal (and nearly 4,000 across the province), according to Hydro-Québec’s outage map.

What to expect for the rest of the day

You’ll want to keep that shovel handy.

The snow is expected to continue throughout the day before tapering off this evening, with periods of light snow ending and skies clearing overnight. The high today will reach -13°C, with wind chill values making it feel closer to -20°C this afternoon.

Tonight, temperatures will drop to -18°C with wind chills near -25°C.

More winter weather ahead this week

Unfortunately for snow-weary Montrealers, today’s storm won’t be the last of the week’s winter weather.

Tuesday will start with increasing cloudiness, and more light snow is expected to begin near noon, according to Environment Canada. Temperatures will climb slightly to -11°C, but wind chills will still hit -27°C in the morning.

Wednesday offers a brief respite with sunny skies and a high of -11°C, followed by partly cloudy conditions Wednesday night.

Thursday will bring more sunshine with temperatures steady at -11°C, but another round of snow is forecast to move in Thursday night into Friday, with periods of snow and a high of -9°C.

The weekend looks slightly better, with a mix of sun and cloud on Saturday (high of -10°C) and sunny skies on Sunday as temperatures finally climb to -7°C.

For now, Montrealers are advised to bundle up, take it slow on the roads, and keep their shovels handy. Winter isn’t done with us yet.