Widespread fires & searing heat west - showery east

Cities such as Saskatoon, Regina and Moose Jaw had terrible air quality on Monday from fierce fires burning in the NWT. (CTV News)

The same weather pattern remains locked in place across Canada as we approach the end of June. We have a big ridge of high pressure in the west pumping hot and dry air north from the desert southwest into B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan. A deep trough exists in the east with frequent fronts, cooler and wet weather. Montreal and most of southern Quebec and Ontario can't seem to go more than day without some form of rain.

Smoke plumes generated by large forest fires in northern Canada drift south across western Canada and into the northern US. (NASA)

Meanwhile over 135 brush and forest fires  are burning across the NWT and northwest Saskatchewan producing dense smoke that has settled across Saskatchewan and into Montana and the northern US. On Monday many locations in Saskatchewan including Saskatoon, Moose Jaw and Regina had visibilities under 1km for much of the day. The smoke is generating very poor air quality, limiting outdoor activities as well as making driving dangerous. Temperatures have soared to over 35C (95F) in many locations with numerous all time June record highs broken in interior B.C. and Alberta. There is no relief in sight with hot weather forecast through the week across western Canada.

Here in Montreal sunshine today will allow for temperatures to rise into the middle 20's. Sadly another frontal system will bring showers and thunderstorms tonight into the Canada Day holiday. After a wet Wednesday with thunderstorms, high pressure will bring sunshine and warmer weather Thursday into this upcoming weekend..

The slow start to summer continues for Montreal

That was one miserable Sunday in southern Quebec and across most of our neighboring regions. I measured around 16mm of rain on Sunday bringing the monthly total up to a soggy 135mm, well above normal. Most of the region has had a very wet June with some localities in Vermont and New York reporting the wettest June on record. Burlington, Vermont is now listed at the 4th wettest on record with 8.62" (218mm) of rainfall. Sunday was also a cold day in the St. Lawrence Valley with gusty east winds and temperatures around 15C (60F) all day. The official high was 19C (66F) but that was shortly after midnight. Temperatures fell for the rest of the day.

The storm responsible for the nasty weather is lifting northeast across southern Quebec this morning with plenty of clouds and drizzle around. Some partial clearing will occur today but it will remain chilly with highs of only 19C. On Tuesday warmer air will move into Quebec but with an increase in clouds with showers and thunderstorms developing. The high will be 25C (77F). At this time Canada Day is expected to be cloudy with showers and thunderstorms but mild at 24C (76F).

A downed tree lies on a van in Lawrence, Massachusetts. (NWS Taunton)

Other parts of New England and eastern Canada had heavy rain and strong winds from the weekend storm. Numerous trees and power lines came down, some on cars. Thousands were left without power across New England and New York. High surf pounded beaches from Maine to New Jersey.

On the other side of the country searing heat and dry weather helped numerous forest fires spread across B.C and Alberta as well as northern Saskatchewan. Temperatures pushed over 40C (104F) in interior southern B.C. as well as southwest Alberta with middle the 30's into other portions of both provinces and southwest Saskatchewan.

Unsettled end to June for Northeast & Quebec

Low pressure will move from Ohio to near Montreal this weekend with heavy rain and wind. (AccuWeather)

I wish I had better news as we enter the final weekend of June, but sadly I don't. A big ridge in the west and dip in the east in the jet stream is keeping the warmest weather across western Canada. Temperatures will soar into the 30's across B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan. Meanwhile Ontario and Quebec will remain at or below normal in the temperature department. Specifically here in Montreal we can expect a sunny day Friday with a high near 23C (74F). This is below the long term average by a few degrees. Sunshine will prevail Saturday with similar temperatures but clouds will be on the increase in the afternoon. The clouds will herald a rather vigorous system for late June that will move form the Ohio Valley slowly into southern Quebec on Sunday. This storm will tap into Gulf moisture and spread rain across the region. At this time rainfall amounts are expected to exceed 25mm. This will add to a very wet moth of June for Montreal as we have measured over 125mm (5 inches) of rainfall. The normal for June in Montreal should be around 87mm. In addition to the rain on Sunday, gusty winds in excess of 50km/h are forecast. Temperatures will be well below normal with the thick clouds and rain, reaching only 16C (60F).

The poor weather will continue into the start of next week with showers and thunderstorms forecast through Tuesday with below normal temperatures.

Quiet summer weather for southern Quebec & Ontario

A spectacular photo of just one of the many tornadoes reported in southern Manitoba on Wednesday afternoon. This photo was taken near Manitou, Manitoba. (Global News/J Klassen)

A ridge of high pressure will provide southern Quebec and eastern Ontario with three days of near perfect summer weather. Temperatures will be near the normal high of 25C (77F) with perfect overnight lows near 16C (60F). The humidity levels will be low and no precipitation is forecast until Sunday for Montreal. As the ridge slides east on Saturday low pressure will approach from the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes. At this time this system appears to be rather strong for late June and will begin a period of unsettled weather into the middle portion of next week and possibly the Canada Day holiday. On Sunday expect steady rain, in excess of 25mm (1 inch), along with gusty winds and cool temperatures.

Manitoba Tornado
While we have decent weather forecast here in Montreal, strong thunderstorms will produce severe weather from the upper Midwest into the middle Atlantic states today. It has been a stormy few days from Saskatchewan and Manitoba south into the Dakotas and points east towards Illinois. Numerous tornadoes were observed over the last 48 hours including several in southern Manitoba on Wednesday. Large hail also fell along with heavy rain and flash flooding. At one point on Wednesday a massive swirling cluster of storms stretched over 50,000 feet into the atmosphere and covered the entire state of Iowa. Thousands were left without power in sweltering heat from Illinois to New Jersey as the storms pressed south and east. More are forecast today with millions in the path of the potential severe storms.

Strong storms pass south of Montreal

A radar capture this morning shows the heaviest rain and thunderstorms (deep red and yellow), moving east across southern Ontario and into New York State well south of Montreal and Ottawa.

Watching the radar trends early this morning, it appears the heaviest rain and strong thunderstorms are moving south of Montreal. It has been a very stormy night in the Great Lakes basin including Toronto. A wide area of heavy rain and thunderstorms has been affecting southern Ontario as far east as Kingston and then south into New York state. The system has produced heavy rain along with flash flooding as well as frequent lightning. It looks like the bulk of the heavy weather associated with this front will remain in New York and Vermont today. There is just an outside chance of a shower or afternoon thunderstorm in Quebec, especially along the US border. The strongest storms with hail and high winds will be focused in southern Vermont and New Hampshire.

Montreal can expect another muggy day before the atmosphere dries out a little on Wednesday. It was very mild overnight, remaining near 20C (68F). The high temperature today will be near 24C (76F). Winds will be gusty up to 60km/h in the St. Lawrence Valley. It will be clear, windy and cool overnight with a low near 13C (55F). Wednesday looks sunny with a slight chance of an afternoon shower and a high near 23C (73F).

Thunderstorms expected for Tuesday commute in Montreal

This photo above is from Sheldon Regional Airport in northwest Iowa. Winds in excess of 95mph (152km/h) flattened several hangers destroying aircraft. The cluster of thunderstorms knows a derecho, moved rapidly across several states with damage reported over a 400km swath. (TWC)

 A large area of rain and thunderstorms will advance northeast and arrive in southern Quebec just in time for the Tuesday morning commute in Montreal, between 5 and 8am. Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement highlighting the heavy rain and possible storms. This morning the same weather system produced a wide swath of damaging thunderstorms with powerful winds exceeding 100mph (160km/h). The storms, also know as a derecho, caused major damage from South Dakota to Wisconsin. In the simplest terms, a derecho is know as a widespread fast-moving windstorm associated with severe weather. Numerous reports of structural damage and power outages were reported during the early morning hours. The thunderstorms are now pushing across Michigan towards southern Ontario and the eastern Great Lakes.

Last night the strongest thunderstorm so far this year to affect the West Island and L'Ile Perrot dumped close to 20mm of rain in less than 30 minutes at my home. Gusty winds and frequent lightning accompanied the 10pm storm. It has been a partly cloudy, humid day in Montreal today with high temperatures around 27C (81F). Tonight will be muggy with mild lows near 18C (65F). Tuesday will start off with widespread rain and thunderstorms from the pre-dawn hours through midday. Once the showers and storms move off to the east of Montreal, skies should clear, but it will be very windy, gusting from 40-70km/h in the St. Lawrence Valley. Temperatures will be mild again, up to 26C (79F). A spell of quiet, cool and dry weather is then expected from Wednesday through Friday.

Welcome to Summer 2015 Montreal

Spring 2015 is just about in the record books with the summer solstice occurring at 12:38 pm Eastern Time on Father's Day, Sunday, June 21st. The term solstice comes from the Greek word solstitium, sol (sun) and stitium (to stop). Indeed the sun appears to come to a complete stop at the Tropic of Cancer, the furthest north it will come on it's summer journey before retreating south. It also means the longest days for us here in Montreal. The sun will come up on Sunday at 5:07 am and set around 8:47 pm giving us 15 hours and 40 minutes of daylight. By comparison we only have 8 hours and 43 minutes on December 21st. From this point on the days will begin to shorten a little each day. The good news is that typically the warmer weather lags behind the solstice so July and August feature the warmest average temperatures for southern Quebec. The sun remains at a great angle and strong throughout the summer well into September.

Tropical storm Bill has been producing heavy rain and flooding from Texas into the middle Atlantic states this week and even New York City this weekend. The heaviest rain should remain south of Montreal. (AP Photo via TWC)

We are looking at a spectacular Saturday with high pressure in place and warm southwest winds. The high for the region will be around 26C (79F). The first day of summer is looking wet at this time here in Montreal. We have low pressure and a potent frontal system moving east from the Great Lakes, as well as the remains of tropical storm Bill moving north into the Ohio Valley. Moisture from the Great Lakes system will arrive this evening in eastern Ontario and overnight in Montreal. Showers with scattered thunderstorms can be expected Sunday into Monday. Temperatures will cool to around 15C (59F) overnight and rise to around 23C (73F) on Sunday in Montreal. Some of the rain may be heavy at times in Ontario and Quebec, especially if we tap into some of the Gulf moisture associated with Bill. Over 20-30mm of rain is possible in southern Quebec with more than 50mm likely in New England. Across the Ohio Valley and Middle Atlantic States numerous flood watches are in effect as 50 to as much as 100mm (2-4 inches) of rain is possible.