Thursday, July 08, 2010

Record breaking heat

The numbers are impressive from this current heatwave along the eastern seaboard and into southern Quebec, Ontario and now the Maratimes. Montreal reached 33.7C yesterday beating the old record of 32C set in 1982. We are forecasting a high of 34C today which will edge out the previous record of 33C set in 2008. Another fact of this heatwave has been the overnight temperatures. At 3am this morning, Montreal was one of the warmest cities in eastern Canada and the entire Northeast at 26C (79F). Our low was a record breaking 25C as we continue to establish all time records for highest overnight lows. The humidex is another interesting fact. The combination of heat and humidity has pushed the humidex value over 42C for three consecutive days. If it does the same today and tomorrow it will be the first time in the history of this city that this has happened. As a result of this, the city has opened cooling centres across the Island of Montreal and extended outdoor pool hours. You can obtain all the information at ville.montreal.qc.ca or by calling 3-1-1. Please check on all your neighbours, friends and family especially seniors.

High heat and smog advisories remain posted region wide again today. Temperatures will soar into the 31-36C range. Yesterday afternoon in Ile Perrot and St. Lazarre at around 6pm we had a heavy tropical shower. The storm dumped a quick 10-15mm or so of rain on the area and knocked the temperature down a few degrees. The result was sauna like conditions for the balance of the night. We can expect the same today with a risk of showers and thunderstorms. The heatwave will break late Friday as a cold front sweeps into the region. Temperatures will cool into the upper 20's with much lower humidity.

Other high temperatures yesterday included 35C (95F) at St Anicet/Lancaster, 35C in Ottawa, 34C (94F) at Kemptville and 33C (92F) in Toronto. A late afternoon sea breeze cooled Boston to only 28C (83F) while New York reached 37C (100F) before cooling into the upper 70's last night.

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