Those thinking of taking a romantic Valentine's Day stroll around Montreal this weekend might want to keep their plans flexible — Mother Nature has a mixed bag of weather in store for southern Quebec.
Light snow is expected to kick off the weekend Friday night into Saturday morning, though accumulations should stay modest at under 5 cm. It's part of what a new MétéoMédia report is calling "flake torture" — an endless succession of small weather systems that have been dumping light snow across Quebec since November without delivering any major storms.
Friday night flurries
Environment Canada says increasing cloudiness will roll into Montreal Friday evening, with a few flurries starting after midnight. Temperatures will drop to around -8°C, so it won't be the most romantic evening for outdoor plans unless you're really committed to the winter aesthetic.
Saturday clears up
Valentine's Day itself looks a bit better. Saturday morning will stay mainly cloudy with a 30% chance of flurries, but skies should clear by afternoon. Winds will pick up to 20 km/h gusting to 40 near noon, and temperatures will climb right to the freezing mark — 0°C — which might not sound impressive, but it's an improvement over recent weeks.
However, you may want to dress in layers as Saturday night could see temps dipping down to -14°C.
Sunday's calm before the storm
Sunday offers a brief reprieve with sunny skies and a high of -5°C according to Environment Canada. It'll be the nicest day of the weekend if you need to make up for any Valentine's plans that got snowed out Saturday.
Don't get too comfortable, though. MétéoMédia says another clipper system will roll in late Sunday evening following a very similar route to Friday's storm. Environment Canada is forecasting cloudy skies with a 60% chance of flurries Sunday night, with temperatures holding around -5°C.
Light snow is expected across Abitibi-Témiscamingue, the Laurentians, Mauricie up to the Quebec City region, and the greater Montreal area heading into Monday. Total accumulations will be bigger in Abitibi — possibly 5 to 10 cm — but elsewhere across the province, snowfall shouldn't top 5 cm.
The big warmup on Monday
With temperatures rising, that snow could transition to rain by Monday afternoon.
MétéoMédia says Montreal and Montérégie are among the regions that could see the snow turn to rain late Monday as the mercury climbs. If temperatures stay stubbornly below freezing, expect heavy, wet snow instead. There's even a possibility of freezing rain for Montreal's north shore and Lanaudière — something to watch closely if you're commuting.
First time above zero in nearly a month
The best news? Monday's high is forecast at 3°C, which would mark the first time Montreal has seen temperatures above freezing in nearly 30 days. That warmup continues into Tuesday with a high of 6°C expected.
Environment Canada is calling for showers Monday, with wet conditions continuing Monday night and a mix of sun and cloud returning Tuesday.
So while your actual Valentine's Day might be chilly and occasionally snowy, at least next week kicks off with something we haven't seen in a while: temperatures that feel almost spring-like.
