Moisture from tropical storm Cindy to surge into Quebec

Waves crash on Lake Pontchartrain Wednesday, as tropical storm Cindy approached the Texas and Louisiana shoreline. Heavy surf, scattered tornadoes and torrential rain impacted the region from east Texas to the Florida panhandle. Moisture from Cindy will invade southern Quebec by early Friday. (AP Photo)

Tropical storm Cindy made landfall in the wee hours Thursday morning along the Texas/Louisiana Gulf Coast, with 50 mph winds and torrential rains. On Wednesday, the storm claimed one life in Alabama, and produced widespread heavy rainfall, along with isolated tornadoes. As much as 8 inches of rain fell from the Florida Panhandle into southern Mississippi causing flash flooding. Coastal flooding occurred as well, with several barrier islands completely inundated. What remains of Cindy is moving inland today, heading for the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys through Saturday.

Cindy will send a surge of tropical moisture northward from the Gulf of Mexico into the lower Great Lakes over the next 48 hours. The moisture will interact with a warm front moving into southern Ontario and Quebec, producing very heavy rain and thunderstorms overnight. After a perfect day on Thursday, with sunshine and warm highs of 25C (77F), clouds will increase, with rain developing in Montreal by midnight. Expect 25 to 50mm (1 to 2 inches) of rain by Friday evening. Despite the clouds and rain on Friday, it will feel tropical-like, warm and humid, with high temperatures up to 26C (79F). The holiday weekend will be unsettled, with showers possible at anytime, especially Sunday, and cooler temperatures.

Three Quebec Tornadoes
Environment Canada has investigated the damage caused by severe weather on Sunday, June 18, and determined that three tornadoes occurred in southern Quebec. The first, with a 3.5km long path, was an EF-2 storm on the enhanced Fujita scale, capable of winds up to 180km/h. Two people were injured and several homes severely damaged near Hebertville/Mont Lac-Vert. The second storm occurred near Sainte-Anne-du-Lac, with a 4.5km long path, measuring as an EF-2 as well, with winds between 180 and 200km/h. The final tornado occurred 20km south of L'Etape in the Laurentian Wildlife Reserve. Little information is available for this tornado due to the isolated location which it occurred. Quebec on average records 6 tornadoes annually, so we are well on our way for 2017, with three occurring in just one day.