Like an autumn day. Temperatures will be colder this weekend almost everywhere in Quebec, but should start to rise again at the beginning of next week. It is this cooler weather that explains why violent thunderstorms affected many regions in the south of the province on Thursday.
Posted at 11:47 a.m.
Updated at 12:12 p.m.
“For all of Quebec, we will go up to about five or ten degrees below seasonal norms over the weekend,” said Environment Canada meteorologist Guillaume Perron in an interview with The Press.
He maintains that low temperature records for this time of year could even be reached in certain regions, including Abitibi-Témiscamingue. “In Val-d’Or, in particular, we expect a minimum of around one degree. For June 19, the record reached there is zero degrees. It could therefore be achieved overnight, ”reasoned the specialist from the federal agency.
Moreover, these colder temperatures, which are reminiscent of “an early fall day” according to the meteorologist, largely explain why Quebec was again affected by strong storms, earlier this week.
“There is a descent of a mass of fresh air which is coming back from the north, and which is now descending towards Quebec. It is this mass which contrasted with the rather hot and humid temperatures of Thursday, and which could have fueled the storms. So basically, we had 35 degrees on Thursday. But there, what we see is the cold coming down on us,” continues Mr. Perron.
Rain is also expected to continue in several areas on Saturday and Sunday. In Montreal, however, the showers should end late in the afternoon on Saturday. The sky will then be cloudy on Saturday, before the return of the sun on Sunday. Winds from the northwest of up to 30 km / h are expected, with gusts of 50 km / h, in the metropolis this weekend.
Hugo-Sébastien Aubert, La Presse
Rain is expected to continue in several areas Saturday and Sunday. In Montreal, however, the showers should end late in the afternoon on Saturday.
By Monday, warmer weather should be back in Quebec, especially in the south and west of the province, including Montreal. “The really more summery weather should be back in the middle of the week, and we should get a few days close to 30 degrees,” said Guillaume Perron on this subject.
Storms of 70 million
For the second time in less than a month, violent thunderstorms affected many regions of southern Quebec and Ontario last Thursday, again causing power outages, flooding and other damage. In Montreal, many catch basins were clogged, and low points, such as passages under overpasses, had to be closed temporarily, the city said. This was particularly the case at the Acadie roundabout, which was renovated in 2015 to prevent flooding. Several dozen basements of private residences were also flooded.
“We can expect more and more storms and severe weather episodes over the next few years,” said Maxime Desharnais, also a meteorologist at Environment Canada, when questioned by The Press.
Thursday’s thunderstorms came weeks after other severe storms swept across southern Quebec and Ontario on May 21, leaving extensive damage in their wake. This first storm, which deprived more than 550,000 Quebec customers of electricity, cost Hydro-Québec more than $70 million.
“This is one of the events that required the most work on the ground since the 1998 ice storm,” Hydro-Québec said in a press release. The most affected regions were the Outaouais, the Laurentians, Lanaudière, Mauricie and the Capitale-Nationale.
Remember that it was a derecho-type phenomenon that had hit the province. It’s basically a very fast-moving severe thunderstorm line that can travel up to 1,000 kilometers in just a few hours. In Quebec, the last time a derecho occurred was in 1999.