The lost summer of 2023

A spectacular double rainbow taken in Laval last week. Will a nice fall be waiting at the end of the summer rainbow, time will tell. (Photo T. Tsoukatos)

The nights are getting longer and a touch cooler in Montreal, and the trees are showing colour. Where has summer 2023 gone? It has not been a very good one from coast to coast to coast. Fortunately in Montreal, all we have to complain about is washed out BBQ's and family outings. Other parts of the country and across North America have been hit by extreme weather that has caused billions in damage and several fatalities. Montreal has received record amounts of rainfall this summer, and in August, only two days above 27C (80F).

Across the country, wildfires have scorched millions of hectares, over 3.5 million in Quebec alone. Several of the fires, like those in Halifax earlier this year and most recently Kelowna and Yellowknife, have displaced tens of thousands of residents and destroyed hundreds of homes. In Canada, four firefighters have died in the fierce wildfires this season.

Across the Prairies, crops have withered in prolonged intense heat and drought, while hail and grasshoppers, yes locust, have destroyed many more acres. 

There are those who don't like the term climate change, I won't debate that here, but our planet is certainly in distress of late.

Heavy rain from the remains of Hurricane Hilary flooded the parking area at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday. Hilary was the first tropical system in nearly 85 years to impact California. (Facebook Photo)

Expanding out further across North America, the central and southern portion of the continent is baking in extreme heat that has shattered records that have stood for over a century. Over the weekend, a powerful Hurricane Hilary moved into Baja California and eventually northward into California and Nevada, dropping amounts of rain in a 24 hour period not usually measured over the course of the entire year. Up to 250mm (10 inches) of rain fell across interior portions of southern California and the hills east of Los Angeles. Flash flooding and mudslides were the result, with a state of emergency declared in California. 

What's left of Hilary is moving northward Monday morning, spreading rain as far north as Montana, southern Alberta and B.C. Any rain would be most welcome across that region.

As I write Monday morning, the tropical Atlantic has become very active with 5 systems of interest including tropical storms Emily, Franklin and Gert. A fourth system in the Gulf of Mexico, may be named later today and impact coastal Texas later this week.

The latest Canadian community to be threatened by wildfires is Kelowna, B.C.. Thousands were evacuated over the weekend as the McDougall Creek fire spread rapidly towards West Kelowna. Hundreds of firefighters have been on the frontlines holding back the flames and saving many homes. (CityTV)

Nearly 12 million hectares have burned across Canada this year to date, the worst fire season on record. If you have not been directly impacted by fire, then you likely have been by the widespread smoke and poor air quality. Environment Canada had issued special weather statements and air quality alerts 897 times from 2017 to 2022. In 2023 to date, 3166 such statements have been issued by the government agency impacting everyone across the country. 

Lastly severe weather and tornadoes have been occurring in our region. While thunderstorms are not uncommon in Quebec and Ontario in July and August, the frequency and severity of the storms have been rather unusual. Damage and power outages along with flash flooding have occurred across both the Ottawa Valley and Saint Lawrence Valley as well as the Townships, Laurentians and Quebec City region. We have had multiple days with rare tornado watches or warnings across our region.