Nice pictures and look tough to walk on it.  I guess you have to walk on the snow if still safer than on the iced paths.  I hope not to see freezing rain when I go there as the latest ensembles looking very cold start in Jan with temps below -15C uppers most days so freezing rain won't happen by then!

Pictures on the news from across the pond

Looks to have been quite a storm

Great pics, they do like their cables over there don't they.

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/MT8_Toronto_Kanada_ens.png

Interesting for January and I hope to see a major cold outbrreak at some point.

Blimey that is some cold on the way

Hi folks,

Finally got our power back late last night, that was nearly 48hrs without it, thank goodness for the generator to keep the essential things going. Weather gods do have a funny way of playing things though, we went from that freezing ice storm on Sunday to an unexpected snowfall this morning!

Things were set to turn much colder anyhow, currently -9c out there but we awoke to a lake effect band driven on by NE winds and heavy at times left 8cm of fresh snow, the best snow i must say also, all light a fluffy, blown away without much shoveling snow...wonderful scene.

So, we've got about 18cm of snow lying and in that case it's definately going to be a Hamilton white christmas, technically a white christmas has occurred more than 50% of the time in Hamilton since 1957 although the last 10 years have only saw 5 white xmas (50% - good at maths for once!) Also according to EC, a white xmas is defined by 2cm of lying snow on the ground at 7am on xmas day or 2cm of falling snow during xmas day. Both of these will be broken as more snow is forecast for later on tomorrow afternoon, could be as much as 6cm.

Excluding the ice which still causes problems with bus and train cancellations, it's the perfect xmas picture. Still at this hour, 6000 people without power in the Hamilton area, mainly Ancaster and Flambrough and smaller pockets in Hamilton. Over 63000 people still without power in the Toronto area, some of these will have no electric this xmas.

All down to cost for those that ask about the power wires above ground over here. It would cause billions to replace and relocate the wires, not worth it i guess given the infrequency of such events. And it does look mega cold for the start of Jan Jiries, i'm headed for the wind and rain instead!

All that remains is to wish everyone on TWO and especially Peter and Graeme a merry christmas, hope santa is good to you in Calgary & Prague.

Hi folks, last post in Ontario for 2013 as i head for YYZ in the morning to head home to Ayrshire for the new year.

We had just over 2cm of snow yesterday during xmas day from some light showers which persisted all day, it all looked lovely again this morning i must say. Double white christmas for the Hamilton area with this snowfall plus the lying snow/ice from earlier in the month. Record breaking temp also set for the whole year on xmas morning as the mercury plummeted to -20c, the coldest this year.

Outlook for the rest of 2013 for here in for a slight warm up to near 0c over the next several days with just the risk of flurries and maybe warm enough for some mixing with the wet stuff. By Hogmanay (Sorry, new years eve) things begin to change big time and the long reported cold train approaches and then arrives in the station as 2014 starts. EC going for daytime highs of -12c on Tue and -14c on Wed 1 Jan at the minute. Wrap up warm!!

For me, it's home to wet and no snow in Ayrshire. Hoping this wind they have does one and it turns colder, would be nice to bring some snowy joy to the hard pressed starved SW Scotland! Whatever the weather i'm sure it'll be a fun, festive and some good ol scots brew will be consumed.......

Take Care 

Certainly one to keep an eye on Tim. The 0z GFS has -30c 850s and 487 dam into Montreal on New Year's Day. Last time Montreal cracked -30c (on the ground!) was the brutal January of 1994. There was a mean temp of -16.6c that month (average around -10c).

Toronto also cracked -30c that month (-31c on the 16th) and the mean was -12.4c.

Ottawa recorded lows of -30c or below on five days that month and came in with a mean of -18c!

Not sure it will get that cold, especially in Toronto, but an interesting few days coming up. I guess Stewart will miss all the fun being back in rainy breezy Ayrshire. Mixed blessing!

Bitterly cold air now over northern Ontario with temps this morning widely in the -35c to -40c range. Kapuskasing at -42c the coldest I've seen this morning. Thunder Bay is sitting on -39c. 

Still looks frigid for southern Ontario and Quebec much of this week, though not quite the 'Day After Tomorrow' 850s being modelled a few days back. Still I would expect sub -20 readings for the likes of Toronto and Hamilton and something in the -25c to -32c range for Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec. Daytime highs around -15c for the Golden Horseshoe and the low -20s for eastern Ontario and southern QC.

What's more, after a possible storm early next week more frigid air seems to be on the cards!

Some very very cold weather around those parts , most envious

So the storm track for tomorrow seems to have been decided on now and it will bring significant, if not spectacular, snows to the NE States including NYC and Boston. In fact Boston could be ground zero for the storm with at least a foot of snow.

Could also be an interesting one for the west end of Lake Ontario. I know Stewart is back in Scotland at the moment but possibly 15cm for Hamilton on the cards?

Tomorrow still looking very cold for southern Ontario and Quebec with highs generally in the -15c to -25c range.

I've been noticing in recent days that the model output has been firming up on a pretty severe cold spell across most of the central eastern US and Central Eastern Canada.

The last 10 days in Eastern Canada have been much below normal however a renewed cold wave looks set to deliver some very low temperatures over a wide area thanks to a 1055mb high over NW Canada (GFS 06Z is particularly amplified), hopefully this can cause some changes upstream but they aint appearing in the models yet.

For the first time in a long while it looks as though Canada is having a true cold winter.

Proper winter by the sounds of things

Indeed in a very perfect timing for me as looking at the ensembles look promising with a -22C uppers greeting me when I arrive there on 7th.  Also looking another shot of very cold air possible on 16th Jan which right on my birthday. I am very excited now and can't wait to go there.  My wife reported seeing snowfall almost all day in Chicgao yesterday and explained how the Chicago people does not venture out to walk in the snow. they zip fast between their homes to their cars because of the extreme cold. 

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/MT8_Toronto_Kanada_ens.png

All I hope it to see another major storm for Toronto at some point.

Enjoy your trip, Jiries!

Certainly cold this morning across eastern Canada, temps in southern Quebec in the range of -26c (Montreal currently) to -43c in the beautiful hill country north of Quebec City.

Even over on the east coast it's -24c at Charlottetown.

-17c in Toronto with some snow falling and the temperature won't rise much today.

Meanwhile the storm is getting going through the NE States with around a foot or more of snow possible in southern New England and New York. It will then hit southern Nova Scotia with similar amounts. Blizzard warnings are out for the province.

The cold and snowy conditions certainly lended a festive feel to yesterday's NHL Classic, played outdoors in front of 105,000 hockey fans in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Around half of the crowd had poured over from Ontario. I'm a baseball rather than hockey fan but this would have been a magical game to attend! http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/winter-classic-leafs-beat-red-wings-in-shootout-1.2481139

Hello folks and may i wish you all a happy new year!

Tim, if you head over to the weather network you are bound to get info on Quebec city on there, tons of interesting side facts apart from current weather on their website.

Well, i'm missing out on all the fun it seems while i type this and it rains AGAIN in Ayrshire, not one dry day since i arrived last Friday, shocking amount of flooding all over the place. Give me snow and ice anyday.

Currently -16c at YHM in blowing drifting snow. As Graeme reported enhanced slightly by the lake, what a winter this is shaping upto be in the Golden Horseshoe / Greater Toronto Area. Around 15cm expected by the time this steady snow tapers off later tonight, looks like they picked up 6cm so far. Good news was that with the milder air over Hamilton last Friday/saturday, most of the ice from the ice storm melted so this snow is falling fresh, would be wonderful!!

Looks likely some moderation in the cold come Friday as temps rise to 0c. Before another shot comes down late weekend and the talk of another, potentially more substantial snowevent come Sun/Mon. Jiries, you must be rubbing your hands with glee my friend?

Saw the winter classic Graeme, leafs fans everywhere!! And played in old style shocking wintery conditions, good news was the leafs won 3-2 in o/t.

Have a great day

Yes, forgot to mention the result!

Tim, there was 33cm of snow on the ground in Quebec City as of Hogmanay: http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climateData/dailydata_e.html?StationID=26892

New York is bracing itself

http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/images/wabc/cms_exf_2007/news/010214snowforecast1pm.jpg