It almost feels like autumn. Temperatures will be colder across most of Quebec this weekend but should rise again early next week. This cooler weather explains why violent thunderstorms hit many regions in the south of the province on Thursday.
Posted 11:47am Updated 12:12pm
Henri Ouellette-Vézina La Presse
“For all of Quebec, we’re going to climb to about five or 10 degrees below seasonal norms over the weekend,” Environment Canada meteorologist Guillaume Perron said in an interview with La Presse.
He claims that in certain regions, including Abitibi-Témiscamingue, record low temperatures could even be set for this time of year. “In Val-d’Or in particular, we expect at least around one degree. For June 19, the record reached there is zero degrees. So it could be achieved overnight, ”explained the expert from the federal authority.
Additionally, those colder temperatures, which the forecaster says are reminiscent of “an early fall day,” largely explain why strong storms hit Quebec again earlier this week.
“There is a descent of a mass of fresh air returning from the north, now descending toward Quebec. It’s this mass, which contrasted with Thursday’s rather hot and humid temperatures, that may have fueled the storms. So basically we had 35 degrees on Thursday. But there we see the cold coming down on us,” continues Mr Perron.
It is also expected to continue to rain in several areas on Saturday and Sunday. In Montreal, however, the showers are expected to end in the late afternoon on Saturday. On Saturday the sky will be cloudy before the sun returns on Sunday. Northwest winds of up to 30 km/h and gusts of up to 50 km/h are expected in the metropolis this weekend.
Hugo-Sebastien Aubert, La Presse
Rain is expected to continue in several areas on Saturday and Sunday. In Montreal, however, the showers are expected to end in the late afternoon on Saturday.
Warmer weather should return to Quebec by Monday, particularly in the south and west of the province, including Montreal. “By mid-week the really more summery weather should be back and we should be getting a few days close to 30 degrees,” Guillaume Perron said on the matter.
Storms of 70 million
For the second time in less than a month, violent thunderstorms hit many regions in southern Quebec and Ontario last Thursday, again causing power outages, flooding and other damage. In Montreal, many catch basins are clogged, low points such as passages under overpasses have to be temporarily closed, the city said. This was particularly the case for the Acadie Roundabout, which was renovated in 2015 to protect it from flooding. Several dozen basements of private homes were also flooded.
“We can expect more and more storms and severe weather episodes over the next few years,” said Maxime Desharnais, also a meteorologist at Environment Canada, when asked by La Presse.
Thursday’s thunderstorms came weeks after other severe storms swept across southern Quebec and Ontario on May 21, causing extensive damage. That first storm, which deprived more than 550,000 Quebec customers of power, cost Hydro-Québec more than $70 million.
“This is one of the events that has required the most on-site work since the 1998 ice storm,” Hydro-Québec said in a news release. The regions most affected were the Outaouais, the Laurentians, Lanaudière, Mauricie and the Capitale-Nationale.
Remember that it was a derecho phenomenon that had hit the province. It is roughly a line of a severe thunderstorm that moves very quickly and can travel up to 1000 kilometers in just a few hours. The last derecho in Quebec was in 1999.