After a summer of record precipitation in several regions of Quebec and Ontario, fall should be warm with precipitation near normal. However, winter could set in suddenly, according to the MétéoMédia forecast.
Summer is not over yet and the good weather should be around for several more weeks.
“It’s going to be a very pleasant fall for a good majority of the country and Quebec. So we’re forecasting above-normal temperatures for September and October, but colder temperatures should arrive suddenly,” explained André Monette, head of the meteorology department at MétéoMédia.
This “significant break” is explained in particular by the arrival of La Niña and should quickly switch the region to winter mode.
“We don’t know yet at this point whether it will happen at the beginning of November or even later at the end of November,” said André Monette.
La Niña refers to the occurrence of colder than normal waters in the eastern and central Pacific Ocean, leading to wetter than normal conditions during the Northern Hemisphere winter.
Beware of tropical storms
According to the head of the meteorology department at MétéoMédia, “the fall should be dry,” but we must be wary of “the remnants of tropical cyclones that could reach as far as Canada and generate significant amounts of precipitation, as Beryl and Debby did during the summer of 2024.”
Early colors due to water stress
The “water stress” caused by the record rainfall this summer means that “we can already see trees starting to turn color,” said André Monette, who predicts “a long season of colors, precisely because it started early.”
From 1er From June to August 31, Montreal received 493 millimeters of rain while the previous record, which dated from 1972, was 417 millimeters.
Elsewhere in the country
As for the Atlantic provinces, “it will be a very beautiful fall, with temperatures well above normal,” except for the northern Maritimes and Labrador which will be close to seasonal norms, explained Mr. Monette.
However, “with water temperatures well above normal in the Atlantic basin, it will be necessary to monitor the rise of tropical systems that could overflow into Canadian soil and dump a lot of rain in their path,” warned the meteorological service.
The Weather Network is forecasting warm temperatures and near-normal precipitation for most of the western part of the country.
But a surge of cold air in these regions in October could leave “the impression that winter has already arrived.”