Very dry weather conditions continue across southern Quebec

The trees are starting to show signs of colour as we enter the last weekend of astronomical summer. The Autumnal Equinox occurs on Monday, September 22 at 2:19PM.

Rain has been at a premium this September, with warm and dry conditions prevailing across most of Ontario and Quebec, eastward into Atlantic Canada, as well as adjacent portions New England. According to the Canadian Drought Monitor, nearly 71 percent of Canada is abnormally dry this September, with some of the worst conditions across eastern Canada. Atlantic Canada has reported one of the driest summers on record, with widespread drought, crop failures, wildfires and water shortages.

Here in Montreal, water levels are very low on all area waterways with many municipalities encouraging water conservation. Boating could be a dangerous endeavor, with rocks and debris appear in many spots as water levels continue to drop. One example of low water levels is Lac St-Louis at Pointe Claire, where the current level is at 20.68 metres (67.8 feet), close to the record low of 20.64 metres (67.7 feet) for the date. The average level is around 21.2 metres (69.5 feet) for September.

In June, only 22mm of rain fell at Trudeau Airport, that was followed by 133mm in July, however most of that fell in a single thunderstorm. August saw a return to dry and hot conditions, with only 67.1mm reported, again most of that falling on one or two days. September has been the driest month yet this summer, with only 19.4mm to date. The bulk of that fell in just a few hours on September 4. We have had only a trace of rain since then.

We need rain! This map above prepared by Agriculture Canada shows a significant departure from normal rainfall across most of the country, as much as 200 percent below normal in eastern Canada. This trend has been persistent all summer.

The forecast is not encouraging either as we head into the upcoming weekend. Strong high pressure has dominated our weather this week in southern Quebec. Temperatures have been above normal, with no precipitation. A weak cold front Thursday afternoon may produce a widely isolated shower or thunderstorm, but the chance is low and they will be scattered. The cold front will introduce a wind shift along with cooler temperatures for Friday. The high Thursday will be a summery 27C (81F), dropping to around 10C (50F) overnight and into the upper teens for Friday into the weekend. Some locations outside of metro Montreal do have a risk of frost Saturday night.

An upper level low and a frontal boundary will try to increase the coverage of showers early next week, but at this time amounts look too low to make a dent in the drought.

For the time being, conserve water, be vigilant if boating on area waterways, and be extremely careful with any outdoor burning.