It’s hot, very hot this weekend in the Montreal area, and everywhere in the south of the province. Temperatures felt soared to 40 on Saturday and aren’t expected to drop until Monday and Tuesday.
Updated at 0:29
“It’s very, very difficult,” says Deifilia on the threshold of her home in Pointe-Saint-Charles, where the heat is suffocating.
Behind her, a modest living room bathed in searing light. The octogenarian, who lives alone, regularly wipes his forehead with one hand.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Deifilia Mosquera only has a small fan to keep cool.
To cool off, she only has a small fan… and fresh apple juice. Air conditioning? Too expensive, she says. ” It’s dangerous. You have to stay at home, ”breathes the lady of Ecuadorian origin.
For many Montrealers, the weekend “may still be unpleasant,” warns Marie-Lou Payette, meteorologist for Environment Canada. “It’s the humidity factor that will be quite high above all,” she adds.
On Saturday, the mercury hit 32°C at its peak in the Montreal area, but when humidity is taken into account, the temperature felt soared to near 42 in some areas.
The situation is similar elsewhere in southern Quebec, notably in the Ottawa Valley and the Pontiac, as well as in Mauricie and Estrie, where temperatures felt around 37 or more.
Not far from downtown Montreal, Julien offers a moment of freshness to his two boys, who have fun in the water games. Of French origin, the father of the family does not support the heat in Quebec.
It’s more stuffy here than in Europe. There, it is very hot, but it is less humid. It’s moist here.
Julian
The heat that weighs on Quebec should also continue this Sunday, although it risks being “tempered” by the showers expected in several regions, also indicated Ms.me Payette.
PHOTO MORGANE CHOCQUER, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
A girl cools off in water games.
At this time, it is “highly possible that storm cells will burst, especially for areas along the St. Lawrence River and in Estrie,” noted MétéoMédia in a notice published on Saturday.
“During the two most extreme events of the past few months, the derecho of May 21 and the three tornadoes in Saint-Adolphe-d’Howard on July 23, the Humidex had also approached 40 before the mercury dropped significantly in a short period. The situation will therefore be to be monitored this Sunday, ”we also say.
As of Monday, temperatures will indeed drop quickly, even dropping below normal for the season, with 20°C expected in Montreal in particular. “It’s going to be a drastic change in temperature between Sunday and Monday,” warns the meteorologist about this.
Warning and tips
In hot weather, the federal agency advises citizens to drink plenty of water, to stay indoors or in the shade if possible and not to exert too much physical effort outside, to avoid heatstroke or headaches. “Overall, we always suggest paying attention to how you feel. You have to take it easy, like a good Quebecer. And we don’t leave animals in the car, it’s important, ”recalls the meteorologist.
Reduce heat-related risks. Organize your outdoor activities during the cooler hours of the day. If you work outdoors, take regular breaks in a cool place.
Marie-Lou Payette, Environment Canada meteorologist
Such hot temperatures in August are not particularly unusual, however, recalls Mme Payette. “We are really in the time of year where it is a recurring factor,” she observes.
The heat that is currently stifling Quebec comes from a weather system coming from northern Ontario, with a cold front. However, it is ahead of this system that we find winds blowing from the southwest, accompanied by heat and high humidity coming mainly from southern Ontario. “It is once this trough has passed that the heat will dissipate on Monday”, concludes Marie-Lou Payette.
A sign that the heat is present, two forest fires broke out on Saturday, one near Chandler, which was however brought under control by municipal firefighters, the other near Malartic, in Abitibi-Témiscamingue.