Dense smoke settles over Montreal - relief on the way

An unnatural sky in Vaudreuil-Dorion and Ile Perrot as dense smoke covers the region, generated from wildfires in central and northern Quebec. The smoke will lift northwest early Monday morning. (ValleyWeather Photo)

Smog Warning in effect for southern Quebec - Air Quality Advisory in Ontario

Special Weather Statement for strong thunderstorms Monday for Montreal

Sunday has been a very unhealthy day to be outdoors, with widespread smoke form the Quebec wildfires settling over southern Quebec. The Montreal region has had some of the worst air quality on the planet today, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 198 as of 7pm. Eastern parts of the city re well over 200. The AQI has been as poor as 297 today. Readings between 150-200 are unhealthy, over 201, very unhealthy. The fine particulate matter can make it difficult to breathe at times, especially for those with respiratory issues. 

Montreal has observed 13 hours and counting of smoke at Trudeau Airport, with the visibility ranging between 2-4 kilometres. Ottawa has reported 16 hours of smoke, with their visibility lowered to between 1-3 kilometres. The smoke has also drifted into portions of northern New York and New England.

The smoke is being generated by 80 wildfires burning in the province on Sunday, many out of control. The fires have scorched nearly 1.3 million hectares of land, over 3 million acres. This is the worst fire season on record for the province. SOPFEU maintains an open air fire ban across the province, with the exceptions of those regions south of the St. Lawrence River. The air quality will begin to improve in Montreal early Monday morning as the wind shifts out of the south due to an approaching upper level low.

The temperature failed to reach the forecast high in Montreal on Sunday, as smoke filtered out the suns warmth over southern Quebec. (Valley Weather Photo)

On Saturday, isolated heavy showers and thunderstorms produced enough rain to create some flooding around 5pm in Montreal. Some parts of the city, including Trudeau Airport, reported up to 25mm (1 inch) of rain in under one hour. It was isolated in nature, with no rain falling here on Ile Perrot.

We have a very wet, warm and humid week ahead, with plenty of showers and slow moving thunderstorms. Between 30 and 50mm of rain is possible locally in the thunderstorm activity on Monday alone, with more rain expected throughout the upcoming week. The storms will develop during the afternoon for Montreal. The high on Monday is expected to be around 25C (77F), with a muggy low near 20C (68F).

Environment Canada image showing the extent of the smoke over southern Quebec and Ontario.