Wild weather: Montreal’s getting rain, wind, snow & a 26-degree temperature swing this week

Spring is nearly here. And for Montrealers, that means not knowing whether we should put on a parka or rock a pair of shorts.

While several regions of Quebec are under freezing rain and winter storm warnings this morning, Montreal’s weekly weather forecast features a bit of a mixed bag — and by mixed bag, we mean a 26-degree temperature swing in the span of about 24 hours.

And if the Weather Network’s 2026 spring forecast for Quebec is any indication, it won’t be the last time the city gets whiplash this season. The outlet is predicting “colder-than-normal temperatures” to dominate through March and well into April, with only occasional bursts of warm air surging north from the eastern U.S. to offer “tastes of pleasant spring weather.” Overall, the forecast calls for “a sluggish start to the season.”

This week is a pretty good preview of that.

Today (Monday, March 16) starts mild and wet. Environment Canada is calling for mainly cloudy skies with a few showers wrapping up around noon, southeast winds gusting to 50 km/h, and a high of 13°C.

Tonight is where things get ugly. Rain showers transition to snow overnight, with 10 to 15 mm of rainfall before the flip and an additional 2 cm of snow after. Winds crank up to gusts of 70 km/h near midnight, and temperatures drop to -6°C.

Tuesday brings the full winter callback. Mainly cloudy with a chance of flurries, southwest winds gusting up to 80 km/h, and a temperature holding near -5°C all day. The wind chill hits -17 in the afternoon. Tuesday night clears out but bottoms at -13°C — a full 26 degrees below today’s high.

From there, the week gradually thaws. Wednesday stays cold at -3°C but sunny. Thursday nudges above freezing at 4°C. Friday reaches 5°C with some sun before rain showers or flurries return Friday night.

The weekend doesn’t exactly redeem itself. Saturday brings periods of snow and a high of just 1°C, with another cold night dropping to -11°C — but Sunday at least offers sunshine.

As for the rest of spring, the Weather Network notes that Montreal should expect “above normal precipitation totals” through March and April, covering the full range of snow, ice, and rain. May remains a question mark, with the forecast describing it as “quite a wild card” — either lingering cold or a quick flip to early summer-like weather.

So yes, spring is technically days away. Montreal’s weather just didn’t get the memo yet.