No end in sight to wet spring in Quebec and Ontario

Water levels on Lake Ontario are the highest they have been since record keeping began in 1918. Above, water pours through nine wide open gates on the Long Sault Dam in Massena, New York. That water is keeping Lake St Louis at levels not seen since the 1970's. The opening was necessary to alleviate high water levels behind the dam. Flooding has been occurring in shoreline communities on both sides of the international border. (@SeawayNNY Photo)

Water levels remain uncomfortably high along the St Lawrence River, as what seems like a relentless daily deluge continues. Already on Wednesday morning, a line of thunderstorms passed across the island of Montreal. More can be expected later this afternoon, some possibly severe with hail and gusty winds. Including today, Montreal has recorded precipitation on 20 of the 31 days in May. This represents 122.4mm of rain and counting. In a normal May, we can expect 81.2mm of rain. To date, since January 1st, Trudeau Airport has recorded 576.2mm of precipitation, almost 23 inches. The normal is 372.4mm. Even more precipitation has fallen in the Ottawa Valley, with that water flowing into Montreal. This explains why water levels have been so high. Lake Ontario is currently at a record high, dating back to 1918. You can read more about the record lake levels by reading Robert Frank's story at the suburban.com

More rain is expected for water logged Quebec over the next two weeks.

Looking into the future, the news does not get much better. In the short-term, we are still dealing with this pesky upper level low spinning south of James Bay. Persistent clouds with just a few sunny breaks can be expected, along with numerous showers and thunderstorms into Friday. Temperatures will remain at or below normal into the weekend. Saturday is expected to be dry at this time, with high temperatures near 20C. This will likely be the best day of the week. By Sunday, another low will move into he region for a prolonged stay. Expect another round of clouds and showers through Tuesday. The first two weeks of June look very similar unfortunately.