Quebec heatwave to persist through Tuesday

The first day of summer in Montreal was a hot one. Trudeau Airport reached a record breaking 33.4C (92F) as the heatwave stretched into a 4th day. No relief is in sight until Wednesday at the earliest.

Some of the warmest temperatures in North America are occurring right here across southern and eastern Quebec into New Brunswick. Over three dozen record highs occurred on Friday, followed by more record heat on Saturday. Montreal reached 33.9C (93F) Saturday afternoon, surpassing the previous high of 32.7C set in 2012. It was the fifth 32C (90F) day already this year and the fourth day of our current heatwave. The previous highs in Montreal have fallen just below the records, reaching 33.5C (92F) Thursday, and 32.9C (91F) Friday. That makes this an official heatwave, the first of the summer. Arguably, many locations had a heatwave back in late May, but Montreal fell short by one tenth of a degree!

The hot weather is expected to continue through at least Tuesday as strong high pressure remains anchored over the region. The air mass has become increasingly humid and stale to say the least, and a smog warning has been added to the heat advisory already in effect. Forest fire smoke is adding to the poor air quality. We need a soaking rain to scrub the atmosphere and save our lawns. A watering ban remains in effect in many southern Quebec municipalities, including here on Ile Perrot. Sadly many of my neigbours have lush green lawns and are ignoring the ban.

WATERING BAN
Any rain that has occurred has been spotty at best. A few scattered showers and thunderstorms developed over the Adirondacks on Friday and Saturday, drifting into extreme southern Quebec. The same is expected today and Monday, with perhaps a cell or two reaching metro Montreal. The real threat for widespread thunderstorms, some strong, will occur by Wednesday afternoon, as a cold front brings some relief from the heat. Until then, expect daytime highs in the low 30s and overnight lows in the low 20s. Humidex values will reach nearly 40C (104F) during the daylight hours.

SUMMER SOLSTICE
Spring came to an end on Saturday, with the summer solstice occurring at 5:43PM EDT. The spring season in Montreal and across many parts of North America was bizarre to say the least as winter and summer waged an epic battle. Montreal's spring featured record heat, record cold, severe thunderstorms, windstorms, May snow, widespread drought conditions and early forest fires all wrapped into three months. I can't wait to see what summer 2020 brings.