Heavy rains in Quebec and Ontario | Storm Debby weakens, but will leave plenty of rain

Montreal could receive more than half of its monthly average precipitation in August in 24 hours, courtesy of the storm Debby.

The tropical storm, which was over the states of North and South Carolina late Thursday morning, is expected to weaken in the coming hours and be downgraded to a post-tropical storm.

This will not prevent Debby to leave heavy rain in its wake in southern Ontario and Quebec, according to Environment Canada forecasts. In Montreal, we could receive between 60 and 80 mm of rain starting Friday, in the early hours, and until late in the evening.

“The average precipitation for Montreal is 94 mm, so that still represents a good fraction of the monthly average,” stressed Michèle Fleury, meteorologist with the federal agency, during a technical information session.

The regions that are “most likely” to receive up to 100 mm are located north of the river, namely Outaouais, the Laurentians, Lanaudière, Mauricie, as well as north of Quebec, including Charlevoix, she specified.

The velocity of the accompanying winds Debbywith gusts expected between 20 and 30 km/h, is not a cause for concern for Environment Canada. “We do not expect any damage due to the winds,” said Michèle Fleury. “It is mainly the torrential rain that could have impacts.”

Possible impacts such as widespread flash flooding, landslides, or sewer backups in urban areas, Environment Canada detailed. The agency is therefore issuing a call for vigilance for the upcoming weekend.

Montreal on its guard

“Our teams are closely monitoring the situation and are ready to intervene if necessary,” assured a spokesperson for the City of Montreal, Hugo Bourgoin, on Thursday.

The metropolis has implemented “several actions” to deal with these intense rains which exceed the capacity of its networks, and which are more frequent due to climate change, he noted.

These include the creation of “sponge parks” towards which runoff from the street is directed, which reduces the risk of flooding of buildings in the area, illustrated Hugo Bourgoin.

He invites building owners to consult the Montreal.ca website for advice on protecting their buildings against sewer backups and urban flooding.

Deadly in the United States

Storm Debby hit the United States hard, dumping rain from Georgia to the Great Lakes, New York and New Jersey.

As much as six inches of rain fell in parts of New Jersey in less than four hours.

At least six people died as a result of the storm, including five in road accidents or from falling trees.

The sixth death was a 48-year-old man in Gulfport, Florida, whose body was found after his anchored sailboat partially sank.

with Agence France-Presse