Montreal's recent snowstorm was a 'rare' event. Let's uncover why
There have been only 34 documented 'major' snowstorms in early December in Montreal in the last 82 years.
Winter got off to an early start in Montreal, with significant snowfall from Sunday to Monday.
Montreal, the largest city in Québec, measured as much as 33 cm by Monday evening once the storm wrapped up.
While snowstorms are not uncommon in southern Quebec in December, the magnitude of this storm, and the date upon which it hit, is fairly rare. The City of Montreal typically sees its first snowfall of 15 cm or more around December 23.
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This latest snowstorm brought double that amount twenty days in advance of that date. It's the first time the city has measured over 30 cm of snow in the first week of December (from one single event) since 2010 (see graphic below).
Rare in December
A major early-December snowstorm is considered quite rare in Montreal. Since 1942, when meteorological data began, such an event has had less than a 50 per cent chance of occurring each year. There have been only 34 recorded 'major' snowstorms in early December in Montreal in the last 82 years. This amount of snow is more typical of January and February, when we enter the heart of the winter season.
This article was translated from MétéoMédia, a Canadian French-language weather information specialty channel and website owned by Pelmorex. Originally written by Francis Briere.
