Vacationers who plan to stay in Quebec during the construction holiday should expect alternating showers, humidity and temperatures slightly above average. Jagged weather forecasts, but no heat wave in sight, predict the experts.
In terms of “weather conditions, it’s not likely to be the best construction vacation ever,” said Patrick Duplessis, meteorologist at MétéoMédia.
The first weekend will be rainy, he warns. A depression is expected on Friday. It will bring rain until Saturday, and eastern Quebec will receive showers on Sunday. “For those who fall on vacation on Friday, it’s not ideal,” he explains in an interview.
For the rest of Quebec, the situation improves as of Sunday, but forecasts remain unstable for next week. “There will be a day or two of sunshine. After that, a day or two of rain,” notes the meteorologist.
We will also have humidity. The same heaviness that we have had since the beginning of the month will return, especially in the second half of next week, in southern Quebec.
Patrick Duplessis, meteorologist at MétéoMédia
Same observation on the side of Dominic Martel, meteorologist at Environment Canada, who estimates that the weather for the next seven days will be “jagged”. “We are slightly above average with the sun, then we go slightly down with the rain. It alternates quite well. »
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
On Wednesday, the sun shone at Maisonneuve Park. However, rain is expected for the weekend, at the start of the construction holiday.
Temperatures slightly above normal, but no heat wave on the horizon, say experts.
Beware of thunderstorms
And for vacationers who plan to head for the Gaspésie or the Côte-Nord? “In Gaspésie, we will have the same scenario as for southern Quebec, but shifted by 12 hours, explains Dominic Martel. On the North Shore, we will have the same scenario as in Gaspésie, but with more rain. We expect 10 to 20 millimeters of rain in Gaspésie, while on the North Shore, it may be 15 to 30 millimeters. »
Regarding the forecast for the second week (from July 30 to August 6), Patrick Duplessis predicts a drop in mercury. “We will go back down to near normal, both in terms of temperatures and rain. »
Who says rain and humidity says storms. Although they are difficult to predict more than a week in advance, the MétéoMédia meteorologist urges vacationers to be careful. “With the instability looming next week, you’ll have to be sure to carry a cell phone to get the weather alerts. It may be a bad idea to go into complete disconnection for five days in the forest. »
When we compare ourselves, we do not console each other
Quebecers who will spend their holidays in Europe should expect to be hot, even very hot, when a record heat wave is recorded in the south of the continent. And this heat wave does not seem to want to run out of steam.
Dental secretary, Manon Duquette spent two weeks in Alsace in June. And she hadn’t expected to be so hot. “Even a t-shirt was too hot! “, she says on the phone.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MANON DUQUETTE
Manon Duquette did not expect to be so hot during her trip to Alsace.
Traveling with friends, it was the first time she visited Europe. Despite the heat, she wanted to maximize every minute. “At one point, we went for a boat trip on a small canal. The sun was beating down very strongly. It was sticky. It was really, really hot. »
For her part, Ann-Sophie David-Boudrias will soon fly to Portugal. But the heat does not scare him. “Yes, it will be hot, but I have been told that it is much less humid than here, and therefore less stuffy. There, when it’s 29°C, it’s 29°C. It’s not 46 with the Humidex! laughs the communications and marketing coordinator.
She still plans to take certain measures to avoid overheating. “We’re going to buy a lot of water, wear light clothes, put on sunscreen. »
Episodes of extreme heat on a global scale bear witness to climate change, notes Christopher McCray, specialist in climate simulations and analyzes for Ouranos, a consortium on climate change. And if we do not drastically reduce our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, these extreme episodes will become more and more extreme, he believes.
“Our models predict fairly significant increases in extreme heat in Quebec in the future. In the Montreal area, at present, there are approximately ten days per year when the temperature exceeds 30°C. If we follow the trajectory of GHG emissions, we could go to 20 or 30, even 50 days per year of more than 30°C in Montreal. »