A real summer Saturday was a delight for Montrealers. In the water games or on the beach, sand castles, parasols and cries of joy are in the spotlight.
“It’s the first time we’ve tried Verdun beach,” exclaims Emmanuelle Hébert, a resident of Le Plateau, in Montreal. White dress, wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses: the Montrealer is ready for a sunbath. “It’s beautiful, there are a lot of people,” adds her friend Amélie Villeneuve next to her.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Emmanuelle Hébert and Amélie Villeneuve came to visit the beach for the first time.
In the background, dozens of people are stretched out on the sand in this borough in the southwest of the island of Montreal. The river sparkles. On the other side of the water, the towers of L’Île-des-Sœurs are crowned with cumulonimbus clouds.
Parents smear their children under colorful umbrellas. Students read on beach towels, in bathing suits. Sand castles are being built. Splashes are common.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
This McGill student took advantage of the good weather to read outdoors.
The temperature felt hovered all day between 32 and 34, according to Environment Canada. Despite everything, in Montreal, the heat warning is officially lifted.
Anyway, here, at Verdun beach, it’s finally summer. A group of international students from McGill University confirms this to The Press : between bouts of smog and rain, they haven’t come to the beach in the whole month of June.
They had been there in May, but the water was a lot colder, says one of them.
A little further on, Lana Alfyorova is enjoying the sun, sitting in the water of the river.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
The grandchildren of Lana Alfyoroya, resident of Verdun, aged 6 and 3
His grandchildren, ages 3 and 6, are building a sand fort alongside him.
The sun is extreme, but the beach is beautiful. […] It’s good to enjoy the summer with our grandchildren!
Lana Alfyoroya
Same story for Kathy Hennings. The lady from Wisconsin, USA is visiting the province for a month with her family.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Kathy Hennings came from Wisconsin with her family.
“It’s absolutely beautiful,” she said, pointing to the beach. We love Quebec and Montreal,” she adds, well in the shade under a white umbrella speckled with colors.
” It is less hot ”
After four consecutive days of heat, Montrealers found themselves around the water points. In Rosemont Park, at the corner of D’Iberville and Dandurand streets, new misters will delight young and old alike.
“We were working this week, we don’t have a swimming pool, so we come to the parks to try to cool off,” says Carl Poulin, along with his spouse and their two little girls aged 1 and 3.
In the background, Elsa, 3, and Eliott, 7, discovered the joy of giving themselves a head massage by plunging their heads directly into the water jets. “We live near Parc Père-Marquette, but we’ve come to test this new park for the first time, and it’s great! enthuses their mother, Gaëlle.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Elsa, 3, and her brother Eliott, 7, cool off at the new Rosemont Park.
At a large picnic table, under the trees, couples of friends are celebrating little Léa’s fifth birthday. Yes, it’s hot, but “less hot” than in the last few days, they believe.
Warnings still in progress
On Saturday, a heat warning still affected the regions of Montreal, Montérégie and Estrie, as well as part of Outaouais, Laurentides, Lanaudière, Mauricie and Centre-du-Québec. A sector of Bas-Saint-Laurent, adjacent to New Brunswick, is also targeted.
Although the heat warning did not affect other areas of the province, high temperatures and thunderstorms were also forecast for other locations. This is among others the case in the national capital, where a temperature of 28 ° C was expected, with a feeling of 35 in the afternoon.
SCREENSHOT FROM ENVIRONMENT CANADA WEBSITE
In red: heat warning
In grey: poor air quality warning
In Saguenay, the mercury could reach 27°C, with a feeling of 32.
Thunderstorms were expected in several regions in the afternoon. The Vallée-du-Richelieu, the Drummondville region and western Estrie were particularly at risk of being affected, underlines Gerardo Velonza, meteorologist for Environment Canada. Gusts of up to 80 km/h and hail were not excluded.
Cooler from Sunday, expected rain
The mass of warm air that has been stagnating over Quebec since the middle of the week should leave the province this Sunday. In Montreal, the temperatures should feel like around 30, humidity factor included, according to Mr. Velonza. At night, the temperature should drop back below 20°C.
Rain is also expected in southern Quebec from Sunday evening, due to a low pressure system arriving from the east coast of the United States, he adds.
It should rain during the beginning of the week, Monday and Tuesday. Thunderstorms could also occur. Up to 50 millimeters of rain are forecast.
Note that an Environment Canada warning on poor air quality is still in effect in Chibougamau and part of the Jamésie region.
The ban on open fires in or near the forest was also lifted Friday evening by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests for a large part of southern Quebec, with the exception of certain sectors. This decision has been in effect since Saturday morning at 8 a.m.
With the collaboration of William Thériault, The Press