Wettest August on record for the Montreal region

The longer nights and cooler mornings  have allowed some trees to begin showing their colours across Southern Quebec. Despite the forecast for a cool Labour Day weekend in Montreal, it looks like we are in for a warm and wet fall, just as the entire year has been. (Valley Weather Photo)

Powered by the remains of tropical storm Debby, Montreal has added another dubious weather record to the books, the wettest August dating back to 1871. With just a few days left in August and meteorological summer, Trudeau Airport sits at 229.3mm of precipitation, just over 10 inches of rainfall for the month. The previous benchmark was 224.8mm set in 2011. We will add to the record on Saturday, with another 10-20mm of rain forecast before we say goodbye to one soggy summer.

The total rainfall for the three summer months is also a record for the city, currently at 450mm. That of course is at the airport in Dorval, as many already know, amounts are much higher in other parts of the city. For example, I have measured 484.2mm here on Ile Perrot. 

Many are still paying the price for the abundant rainfall as municipalities struggle to pick up the tons of debris leftover form the flooding caused by both Beryl and Debby. The wait for insurance adjusters and contractors has been long, and many homeowners are facing the likelihood of not being covered or being under insured for the damage. Many are dealing with the health impacts caused by moldy basements, not to mention the overall stress of the event. 

With summer coming to an end, we are getting a brief glimpse of what fall may look like. For the short-term, Montreal will be cool and dry for a day or two. High pressure will give us a sunny and cool Thursday at 21C (70F), followed by slightly warmer temperatures Friday, 25C (77F). Rain arrives on Saturday, with showers and thunderstorms persisting into Sunday. Skies will clear out for holiday Monday, with a chilly high near 18C (65F).

Beyond that we can expect a period of dry weather and warming temperatures next week. The general outlook from both Environment Canada and the National Weather Service for our region, is for above normal temperatures and precipitation during the fall months of September through November.