Several regions of southern Quebec are under the watch of severe thunderstorms Sunday afternoon.
Posted at 3:56 p.m.
Environment Canada is monitoring the situation closely in the Outaouais (Gatineau, Haute-Gatineau, Lièvre, Papineau, Pontiac) and Laurentides (Mont-Tremblant Park, Saint-Michel-des-Saints) regions.
“Conditions are favorable today for the potential development of violent storms,” warns Environment Canada meteorologist Maxime Desharnais, according to whom this meteorological phenomenon could potentially “create damage”.
“Nautical activities could prove to be dangerous due to the violent and sudden gusts that blow over the bodies of water. Lightning kills and injures Canadians every year. Don’t forget: when thunder rolls, get inside quickly! warns Environment Canada on its website.
Gusts of up to 90 km/h, heavy rain and hailstones of more than 2 cm are to be watched in particular, two weeks after these same regions were shaken by a violent “derecho” type storm.
Less common, but not abnormal
Maxime Desharnais wants to be reassuring, however, the potential storms this Sunday are not likely to reach such magnitude. “It’s not to trivialize the current situation, but the situation with the derecho was very particular, because all the indications were violent”, he says.
Although violent thunderstorms are “less frequent” at the start of the season, like Sunday, their current frequency is “not abnormal” at this time of the year, also indicates Maxime Desharnais.
“What was rarer was the heat wave that we experienced in May. That was a first. May was warmer than normal,” he explains.