The storm season has begun

Yikes

Last gasp of the sun shining upon #yow airport before this rather large thunderstorm arrives. #ottweather #ONStorm

Now this is what you’d call a powerful clash of air masses.

This is WILD…Ottawa is going to experience a humid, tropical 27 humidex during the day, followed by a cold windchill of -9 within mere hours. 🤯

Really intense squall cutting through west and central Ottawa right now that is causing havoc in the roads. #ottweather

Very slippery outside on the roads right now. The small amount of snow that fell this afternoon had melted on the ground, and has now frozen creating icy conditions. Take heed if driving this Sunday evening! #ottweather

Radar image of precipitation

Here comes the precipitation… the temperature is 0 degrees and so it’s unlikely there will be any accumulation of ice given ground temperatures in the case of freezing rain. #ottweather

Gatineau Park, Quebec at peak colours on October 20th 😍 #fall

The high pressure means no clouds, and combined with the sunlight, this provides for stunning contrast in photos between the sky and the trees, and between lit areas and shadows.

Beautiful sunny and warm weather for the next few days as we approach late October, courtesy of a high pressure system sitting in place. Get out and enjoy the peak fall colours this weekend!

You can find beauty in unexpected places. Here, a dying sun in the horizon illuminates from underneath some wispy, low-level cumulus. 😍

WOW! You may be one of the thousands of people in Ottawa standing outside and taking pictures of this rare (for here) formation of Asperitas clouds. They are harmless themselves but there is a storm coming up behind them! #ottweather #ONStorm

I would expect low-topped storms to develop, with the main threat of high winds if the upper winds mix down to the surface. Let's see what happens. (2/2)

Cold front will slice through Ottawa early in afternoon, bringing along high probability of showers or thunderstorms. Surface energy levels are on the low side, but with strong low-level lapse rates. Mid-level lapse rates are low, but with strong winds aloft. (1/2) #ottweather

Seeing a total solar eclipse was an experience of a lifetime, and something I will not forget. Best moment was suddenly seeing the stars appear in the sky within an instant! #Eclipse2024

Cloud cover projects from short-range models (blue colour is clouds).

ECLIPSE DAY Cloud cover outlook. High-level cirrus clouds have just started to arrive in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario. Eclipse may still be noticeable if just high-level clouds, but best viewing spots will be in southeastern Quebec. Good luck! #Eclipse2024 #ottweather

T-1 Eclipse Cloud Cover outlook. HRRR model is a bit depressing as it shows cloud cover the furthest east, but the rest of the short-range models seem to agree that Southeast Quebec has the lowest chance of cloud coverage if you're still selecting your target area. #Eclipse2024

T-2 Eclipse Cloud Cover outlook. Short-range models included now that we are within 48 hours. They confirm what the other models have been saying -- extreme E. Ontario and S. Quebec will have the best chances for eclipse viewing without cloud coverage. #Eclipse2024 #ottnews

T-3 Eclipse Cloud Cover outlook. Roughly the same trend with clouds moving east. Euro has the cloud cover further east today than the GFS (towards Montreal) #Eclipse2024

12-hour traffic jams? NY officials warn of gridlock before eclipse State officials are urging residents to prepare for traffic jams, overloaded cellphone networks and longer emergency response times.

With clear skies currently being forecast for NE New York State (Adirondacks), and New England, be aware of massive traffic gridlock as these become concentrated regions for eclipse viewing, especially as Niagara Falls, Buffalo, and Rochester fall out of favour. #Eclipse2024

T-4 Eclipse Cloud Cover outlook. Models are definitely on a converging trend now with widespread cloud cover moving east throughout the day on Monday, with it reaching around Kingston/Brockville around the time of the eclipse. #Eclipse2024 #ottweather

T-5 Eclipse Cloud Cover outlook. Ensembles still have less chance of cloud cover further east. GFS and Euro have some dry slots in cloud cover that can provide some hope for those in SW Ontario. #Eclipse2024 #ottweather

Rain to change over to snow over the next few hours. NAM is REALLY amping up snowfall amounts (30 inches?!) with bullseye over Ottawa (see first pic), with HRRR at the lower range of 12". Total ground accumulation will be somewhat less as the ground is warm. #onstorm #ottweather

T-6 Eclipse Cloud Cover outlook. Cloud cover has been trending east, and CMCE has come around to this. Euro model showing the same. At this point, it's looking like a bad idea to travel to SW Ontario, including Niagara. SE Quebec would be better. #Eclipse2024 #ottweather

T-7 Eclipse Cloud Cover outlook. Ensembles and GFS are converging into an agreement that there are lower chances of cloud cover the further east you go. This is due to a projected surface low approaching SW Ontario. #Eclipse2024 #ottweather

T-8 Eclipse Cloud Cover outlook. Pretty similar to the cloud cover outlook from yesterday. #Eclipse2024 #ottweather

T-9 Eclipse Cloud Cover outlook. CMCE bullish on low cloud coverage over all of S. Ontario, while GEFS putting more clouds in SW Ontario and less in E. Ontario. GFS dividing Ontario with a couple streaks of clouds. #Eclipse2024 #ottweather

T-10 Eclipse Cloud Cover outlook. Model runs are looking better for E. Ontario (GFS, CMCE/GEFS ensembles). GFS at about 10-20% cloud cover east of Brockville, CMCE < 10%, and GEFS at 35-50%. Low cloud cover is due to 500mb ridge, but timing will be key. #Eclipse2024 #ottweather