Warm, dry weather increases fire risk in Quebec

According to SOPFEU, extreme fire conditions (in red) cover most of the province of Quebec. A fire ban has been put in place for those regions, and may be extended south into Montreal and extreme southwest Quebec (yellow).

Southern Quebec is into a prolonged stretch of warm and dry weather, after a cool start to June. Temperatures across the southern portion of the province have been in the high 20s and are expected to rise into the low 30s this weekend. With low humidity forecast, the forest fire risk in on the rise. According to SOPFEU, the provincial forest fire-fighting agency, two thirds of Quebec, excluding Montreal and the US border regions at this time, is under extreme fire conditions. SOPFEU announced earlier Friday that all outdoor burning is prohibited, including campfires, until further notice.

The burn ban could likely be extended to Montreal this weekend. Rainfall has been sparse this spring, with only half the normal precipitation since May 1st. Montreal has recorded 46.4mm of rain to date for June, but 32mm of that occurred on one day.

Strong high pressure continues to dominate the weather in Montreal, with sunshine, warm days and cool nights. High temperatures will range from 29C to 32C  (80-85F) this weekend. Overnight lows will be seasonable, down to 13C to 15C (55-60F). No precipitation is expected at this time. Monday will be sunny and hot, with an increase in southerly winds driving up the humidity. A cold front arrives late in the day, with showers and thunderstorms overnight into Tuesday. Expect sunshine and seasonable weather to return by Wednesday.