30°C on the thermometer | A summer-like day, then a stormy evening

Montrealers were able to benefit from a summer-like day on Wednesday, when the thermometer hovered around 30°C. Many took the opportunity to gather in the parks, where we are already preparing for the arrival of the summer season. However, the evening was then marked by thunderstorms in several regions.

“It’s very hot for a May day,” laughs Alex Marcotte, met at Jarry Park, where Montrealers flocked in the late afternoon, when the heat and the sun were at their peak. “We take the opportunity to go out, get some sun, it’s really fun,” he adds more seriously.

Others, like Valérie, sitting on a bench, found the humidity simply “too heavy”. “We plan for a lot of water, that’s for sure, and we’re careful not to try too hard. Otherwise, it’s great to see everyone,” she breathes, visibly affected by the scorching weather.

At the passage of The Press, City employees were already busy preparing the water installations. Most, if not all, outdoor pools will not open until summer arrives. However, some water games have already been open for a few days, including several in the Ville-Marie district.

Under trees most of the time, to relax in the shade, some did not lack imagination on Wednesday to keep a cool head. A group of friends had notably planned several spray bottles of water, in order to “be able to spend a nice refreshing evening”.

However, the day ended with showers, a storm and a suddenly much grayer sky. In Montreal, gusts of up to 40 km/h were forecast. Hail also fell in several regions across the province.

” In the top 2 of the hottest »

For the head of the meteorology department at MétéoMédia, André Monette, the current spring “risks being in the top 2 of the hottest in Montreal. “We still have eight days left in the so-called meteorological spring, from the 1st^er March to May 31, but we are already heading towards 2.8°C above normal for March, April and May. It’s huge,” he says.

“Such heat surges, otherwise, remain very common in May. That said, it’s always surprising for the body, every first 30°C of the year. You always have to get used to it again,” adds Mr. Monette.

A priori, the day of May 22 will not be marked by a record. The latter actually dates from 1977, when the thermometer recorded 32.6°C, without taking into account the humidex, in the Montreal region.

Mr. Monette, however, explains warmer seasons by the fact that “since last year, the El Niño context has brought a lot of mildness to North America, especially in winter.” “We are surrounded by very warm water above normal in the Atlantic, so the opportunities for cold air descents do not last very long and are often not very intense,” explains the specialist.

“We do not expect a return to 30°C for the next two weeks. On the other hand, it will be necessary to plan for the arrival of La Niña, which is the opposite of El Niño, for this summer. This will mean fairly warm temperatures in eastern North America, with drier weather, and possibly a fairly active season for hurricanes and tropical storms,” he continues.

Towards such a very hot summer

The Weather Network is expected to release its “official summer preview” next Wednesday, as it does every year. “We are still completing our analyses, but everything indicates that it is going to be a very hot summer, with quite a few heatwaves,” the meteorologist immediately emphasizes.

On Wednesday, most municipalities located in the south of the province and along the river also experienced high temperatures.

In Quebec, for example, it was 26°C this Wednesday, and the felt temperature was 33. Trois-Rivières, Gatineau and Sherbrooke, in particular, also experienced felt temperatures of 30 to 36.

For the future, more normal weather should quickly return. As of this Thursday, Environment Canada predicts that the mercury will drop slightly due to a cold front. On Thursday and Friday, the maximum temperature will be around 25°C. Likewise, declines will be observed in other regions.