Many regions of Quebec will be hit by a heat wave starting Sunday, which is expected to last for the next few days. The temperatures felt could reach 39 degrees. On Anticosti Island, a municipality had to interrupt the distribution of water on its aqueduct network due to the drought.
A warm air mass will reach many regions of Quebec on Sunday, Environment Canada warns in a special weather bulletin. A first heat dome covers Greater Montreal, the southern Outaouais and Laurentians, as well as part of Montérégie and Mauricie. A second includes part of Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean and the Côte-Nord, and extends from Lac Saint-Jean to the Manicouagan reservoir.
Maximum temperatures between 30 and 34°C followed by nighttime minimums above 18°C are expected. “In major centres, temperatures will not drop below 20°C at night,” says Antoine Petit, a meteorologist with Environment Canada.
Humidex values, which correspond to the temperature felt, will be 35 to 39 in the afternoons Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Despite a brief lull Wednesday afternoon thanks to showers, the heat will return Thursday with a humidex approaching 40. The heat and humidity will possibly be present until Friday.
“We are at the peak of summer, so it is not that unusual,” says Antoine Petit. “But we will still have 7 days above seasonal norms; over time, this can bring additional stress to the human body.”
“During extreme heat, your health or that of your loved ones can deteriorate rapidly,” warns Environment Canada.
Some recommendations to protect yourself from the effects of heat
- Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water a day without waiting until you are thirsty. If necessary, follow your doctor’s instructions regarding the amount of fluid to drink.
- Avoid consuming alcoholic beverages or caffeine
- If you can, spend at least 2 hours a day in an air-conditioned or cool place.
- Take at least one cool shower or bath a day or refresh your skin several times a day with a wet towel.
- Reduce physical effort
- Wear light clothing
- Make sure you never leave a child or baby alone in a car or poorly ventilated room, even for a few minutes.
- Check in on loved ones, especially those who are losing their independence, have a disability, suffer from mental illness, or live alone, and be prepared to help them if needed.
Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada and Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services
Drought in the East
Other regions are also affected by a significant drought, due to a precipitation deficit that has lasted for several months, particularly on Anticosti Island. The water table there has reached such a low level that the municipality of Anticosti Island had to interrupt the distribution of water on its aqueduct network on Saturday in the middle of the afternoon.
“In the history of the municipality, this situation has only occurred once in the past,” she said in a statement.
On Sunday around 11:30 a.m., the municipality will reopen its water distribution network for a period of 30 minutes, but water must be boiled for at least 5 minutes before consumption. A notice will be posted on the municipality’s social networks when the situation has been completely restored. In the meantime, a non-potable water distribution system has been set up at the Lac Saint-Georges dam to meet the urgent needs of the population.
“Avoid running the taps, even if water is flowing, in order to preserve the pressure in our network. The sooner the pressure stabilizes, the sooner things will return to normal,” said Mathieu Gravel, general manager of the municipality of L’Île-d’Anticosti, in a message posted on Facebook.
“With the remains of the hurricane Beryl“We felt like we had a wetter summer than usual in southern Quebec,” explains Antoine Petit. “But in the East, it’s really impressive, there’s much less precipitation than normal.”
In Port-Menier, the municipality recorded precipitation of 30 and 34 mm for the months of June and July, while the normals are 80 and 85 mm. And this drought is not limited to Anticosti Island: Gaspé is also experiencing very little precipitation, with 24 mm recorded so far for the month of July, compared to the usual 100 mm.