Water levels slowly receding in southern Quebec

Above and Below: The swollen Ottawa River slowly receding at Parc de la Maison Valois in Vaudreuil-Dorion. (ValleyWeather Photo) 

The rain has ended for the short-term, and water levels are slowly receding across the Ottawa River basin, into southern Quebec. Over 400 homes were under evacuation orders in Rigaud, west of Montreal, and a state of emergency remains in effect. Some of those residents chose to leave while others remained in their homes. Numerous roads in the region were impassable due to the rising waters. Closer to Montreal, minor flooding occurred in several shoreline communities on the West Island and in Laval. Municipalities such as Hudson and Vaudreuil-Dorion made sandbags available to those residents who required them. Water levels along St Charles Avenue in Vaudreuil were quite high late last week, with flooding reported at Parc de la Maison Valois, as well as near Chateau Vaudreuil. Over the weekend, the water was nearly level with Highway 40 near the approach to the Ile aux Tourtes Bridge. Water also crept up onto the boardwalk in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue.

Sunshine finally returned to the region on Sunday, along with warmer temperatures. We will have a short break to start the week, with sunshine forecast, however more rain is on the way. Low pressure is expected to develop over coastal North Carolina early this week and move towards New England. Clouds and showers will return late Tuesday and persist into next weekend. There is even the risk of isolated thunderstorms on Friday. The rain will be scattered and not continuous. Temperatures should warm again this week, reaching 20C (68F) by Thursday. Montreal has recorded one of the wettest starts to any year, dating back to 1872. Additionally, April 2017 is now one of the top 5 wettest. To date 138.6mm of precipitation has fallen, the record is 158.8mm, established in 2005.