Rain & thunderstorms to end the week

A sign of hope on a very difficult day in Moncton, New Brunswick on Tuesday. Thoughts and prayers to all involved.(CBC Nova Scotia via Twitter)

A moist weather system from the central US will help draw rain and thunderstorms northward across the eastern US and into the St. Lawrence Valley for the balance of the week. This morning we have sunshine in Montreal with warm temperatures in the high teens. The sun will rapidly begin to fade behind increasing clouds today as we reach 24C (76F). Radar shows rain and thunderstorms across Pennsylvania and Ohio moving into southwest Ontario this morning. The area of precipitation will slowly move into Quebec by this evening. Rain could be heavy at times with slow moving showers and storms. The same system on Tuesday produced flash floods across Metro Washington D.C. as well as portions of Maryland, so there is a history of flooding.

Environment Canada has issued heavy rain warnings for 50-70mm (2-3 inches) of rain across the Ottawa Valley as well as Eastern Ontario. In Quebec we currently have a special weather statement with no active warnings at this time. Forecast amounts here are in the 25-50mm range (1-2 inches) over the next three days. The good news is I think the system will be east of our region by Saturday morning with just clouds left to clear out. The weekend should be fair with warmer temperatures for Montreal, southwest Quebec and Ontario.

Lightning Safety Week in Canada is June 9-15
When the thunder ROARS go INDOORS!
Lightning kills an average of 10 Canadians each year while injuring over 150. I am preparing a blog post for tomorrow featuring more information and ways to stay safe during summer storms.