It’s only early September, but some Montrealers are already looking forward to—or dreading—the arrival of winter. Snow, flakes in the breeze, coats, hot chocolate. And black ice—which we won’t get into just yet.
To find out everything about the weather for the 2026–2027 winter season in Montreal, we consulted the Farmers’ Almanac—North America’s go-to weather guide for planning the season. Back in the day, it was used to figure out how to prepare crops. Now, it’s used to figure out when we’ll start panicking when we have to park on the plateau.
And, according to the Almanac, winter is going to be mild.
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FARMERS’ ALMANAC FORECASTS FOR WINTER 2026–2027
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THE FARMERS’ ALMANAC
An almanac is a “popular book published annually that includes a calendar along with scientific or practical information,” according to the online Larousse dictionary.
Almanacs in their current form date back to the Middle Ages. They also existed in Ancient Rome, the Middle East (the word has Arabic origins), and Russia. Since 1915, Quebec has had its own almanac: the *Almanach du Peuple*, which no longer seems to exist.
Finally, we’ve just learned that it’s apparently pronounced “al-ma-na” on its own, with the “k” sound used only when it’s part of a compound word…
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WINTER 2026–2027
Montreal is located in southern Quebec. What’s immediately apparent is that winter will arrive fairly late. Last year, the first snowfall came in mid-November. This year, it’ll snow around the end-of-year holidays.
The Almanac predicts the following for the winter of 2026–2027:
- above-normal temperatures
- will bring freezing spells in the first half of January and the second half of February
- less rain than usual—it’s listed as “precipitation,” but it’s different from snowfall
- …there will be just a tiny bit more snow than usual
- the snowiest periods of the winter will be: the second half of December, the second half of January, the second half of February, and the first half of March
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MONTH BY MONTH
Winter will officially begin on December 21, during the longest night of the year—the winter solstice.
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DECEMBER 2026
Winter will begin with heavy snowfall in late December.
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JANUARY 2027
Early January will be freezing—very cold, with little snow. The second half of the month will be very snowy, perfect for skiing.
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FEBRUARY 2027
The first half of February will be typical for the season, and the second half of the month will be freezing with plenty of snow.
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MARCH 2027
The first half of March will bring heavy snowfall, and we’re hoping that by the end of the month, spring will already be in the air.
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