Heat warning posted for metro Montreal Monday

It was a sultry day across southern Quebec on Sunday with temperatures in the low 30's including 31.3C (88F) here on L'Ile Perrot. Factor in the humidity and it felt closer to 40C Sunday afternoon. Some showers and thunderstorms are occurring in the hot and humid conditions across Ontario and they may spread briefly into Quebec as well early Monday. Environment Canada has issued a heat warning for metro Montreal for Monday with hazy weather forecast and highs near 32C (90F). Humidex readings in the afternoon will once again approach 40C. Drink lots of fluids and don't over exert yourself outdoors. A cold front will bring some relief by Canada Day but also strong thunderstorms with the risk of severe weather including hail for Montreal during the afternoon hours. More on that threat as we get closer to the event.

Major flooding from 100-200mm of rain is being reported in Saskatchewan and Manitoba including Regina (above).

Prairie Flooding
Meanwhile severe flooding is occurring across southwest Manitoba and southeast Saskatchewan. Numerous roads are closed due to flooding including the Tran-Canada Highway near Moosomin. Major flooding has occurred in Regina and rain swollen rivers are starting to put pressure on the lakes region around Winnipeg. Strong storms dumped between 100-200mm (4-8 inches) of rain this weekend. In addition winds have brought down trees and power lines in Winnipeg. Brandon is under a state of emergency after 117mm of rain in the last 24 hours. Major overland flooding is occurring with fields and crops under water and highways washed out. Nearly one dozen Saskatchewan communities are under a state of emergency including Yorkton and Melville.

Perfect summer weekend for Montreal

The rain is over for the time being. We are looking at what has been a very wet June in Montreal with nearly 170mm of rain at Trudeau Airport for the month, over double the normal. Other portions of southern Quebec have had even more. A state of emergency remains in effect in Saint-Colomban northwest of Montreal where nearly 100mm of rain fell last Tuesday alone, washing out many roads and flooding homes. Lachute reported 82mm of rain and Montreal 50mm. The slow moving system was across southern and eastern New England as well as Atlantic Canada Thursday with more heavy rain and isolated flooding.

A flooded underpass in the Cartierville district of Montreal on Tuesday night. This is why you do not drive your car into any standing water. Turn around don't drown! (CBC News)

SUNNY & HOT
For now high pressure will build into southern Quebec with another ridge building north from the Atlantic. The combination will drive up the temperatures as well as increase the humidity in Montreal. We managed 27C (81F) on Thursday with highs forecast either side of 30C (86F) through Canada Day. Overnight lows will be warm as well near 19C (66F). Nothing but sunshine through the long weekend with the next threat for showers and thunderstorms increasing by Tuesday.

Montreal flooding and another Ontario tornado

Several homes on Paquin Street in Ile Bizzard had to have their basements pumped by Montreal firefighters. (CJAD)

We had a very muggy, wet June 24 holiday in Montreal yesterday with showers and thunderstorms all day long hampering parades and B.B.Q's. The inclement weather was caused by a slow cold front moving south into very warm and mosit tropical air. The result was a day of thunderstorms across southern Ontario and Quebec. The rain accumulated about 12mm over the course of the daylight hours in Montreal, but really increased in intensity in the late evening as another 40mm fell. Over 30mm (1 inch) of that fell in just over one hour between 10:45 and midnight here on L'Ile Perrot. My total for the day was exactly 50mm (2 inches) with 40mm at the airport, and even more in other parts of the city. The heavy rain produced some flooding in several sections of the city including Ile Bizzard where at least 6 homes had major damage with up to 6 feet of water in their basements. Some highways also had to be temporarily closed by Transport Quebec to deal with water accumulation.

More tornado damage shown above in Ontario as the community of New Tecumseth was hit Tuesday afternoon by an EF-1 tornado. (The Weather Network)

TORNADO
In Ontario more severe weather was reported with an EF-1 tornado touching down in New Tecumseth, northwest of Toronto on Tuesday afternoon. The storm had winds in excess of 135km/h and was on the ground for at least 10 kilometers. Environment Canada will be assessing the damage today to provide more details on the 5th Ontario tornado this season. Another funnel cloud with rotation was reported closer to home in North Glengarry, Ontario. No damage was reported with that storm. Meanwhile Ottawa had 55mm of rain with flooding observed in several neighborhoods. Like Montreal, some city streets and highways had to be closed briefly as a result of water accumulation.

HOT WEATHER
What could be our first stretch of really hot summer weather is on the horizon. High pressure will pump warm and increasingly humid air from the US south into the St. Lawrence Valley and the Great Lakes starting as early as Saturday. It looks at this time like we could have several days of temperatures at or above 30C (86F) into next week. Until then temperatures will be in the 22 to 25C (72 to 77F) range with showers today and clearing skies on Thursday.

Warmer with showers & thunderstorms by Tuesday

A variable sky on Saturday over Montreal with more clouds than sun. Sunday was a perfect weather day. 
(ValleyWX Photo)

After a great weekend, back to work Monday is looking much warmer and more humid. L'Ile Perrot is already at 19C (66F) early this Monday morning with nothing but sunshine. It will remain that way for the entire day with high temperatures pushing 28C (83F). The work week won't last long here in Quebec, as we have our provincial holiday tomorrow (Le Fete, St jean Baptiste Day), call what you want, it is a day off work. Unfortunately the sunshine will not last either. A frontal system will move into southern Quebec overnight with increasing clouds followed by showers and thunderstorms for Tuesday. Some of the storms may have very heavy rain. It has already been a wet month with nearly 130mm (over 5 inches of rain) here in Montreal. Normal rainfall at Trudeau Airport for June is 87mm, and we are well beyond that with a week to go. Temperatures tonight will remain warm near 20C (68F). On Tuesday cloud cover and showers should keep temperatures down between 21 and 24C (70-75F). It should clear out Wednesday with sunshine and a high near 24C (76F).

Spectacular weekend weather for Montreal

Summer arrives at 6:51am Saturday morning and it looks like nothing but sunshine and warm temperatures for most portions of southern Quebec and eastern Ontario for the upcoming weekend. Temperatures in Montreal will warm from 22C (72F) Saturday up to near 27C (81F) by Sunday. Overnight lows will be comfortable around 14C (56F), and humidity levels should remain low. The next chance for any precipitation will be late Tuesday as a frontal boundary approaches Quebec with the risk of showers and thunderstorms.

Major flooding is occurring yet again in southern Alberta. (CBC News)

Alberta Flooding
The weather has not been so kind in western Canada as a stubborn area of low pressure meandering around southern Alberta has generated heavy rain and even snow. Rainfall amounts in excess of 200mm (8 inches) since Monday has resulted in flooding around Fort Macleod, Magrath, Claresholm and Lethbridge County, Alberta. This is occurring one year to the date of the severe flooding last June that would eventually spread into Calgary. Flood watches and warnings are in effect across a large portion of southern Alberta, with a state of emergency declared in 11 communities so far.

What a weather week, flood, fire, searing heat, tornadoes and now a snowstorm! Heavy snow fell this week in parts of Utah and Wyoming.

June SNOW!
Meanwhile the same system produced a very rare June snowstorm across the northern US Rockies with as much as two feet (60cm) of snow across the upper elevations of northwest Montana, Utah (above) and Wyoming.

Angus, Ontario EF-2 tornado

A major EF2 tornado races across Angus, Ontario late Tuesday. (Video Tina Forget)

Severe weather is in the news again across North America as an elongated area of disturbed weather stretches from the US high plains to the Great Lakes. On Monday twin tornadoes smashed into the tiny northeast Nebraska community of Pilger destroying 75 percent of the town, killing two and critically injuring 16. The same system has been producing very heavy rain across southern Alberta with over 100 mm (4 inches) reported in the Pincher Creek area. This is the same portion of Alberta where major flooding started last summer spreading into Calgary. More rain is forecast today as the system lingers.

Complete damage in the tiny Nebraska town of Pilger on Monday. (The Weather Channel)

ONTARIO STORMS

The eastern portion of the front raced through Ontario on Tuesday with widespread severe weather. In the early morning hours, lightning struck four golfers in Stouffville, Ontario, leaving one in critical condition. The quick work of an ICU Nurse nearby saved the mans life as she preformed CPR on the victim. It stresses the point I made in my last blog entry (see below) about how important it is to get indoors at the first threat of any lightning. The system also spawned a major EF-2 tornado around 5:30pm, capable of winds in excess of 200km/h. The tornado swept across a neighborhood of Angus, Ontario near Barrie severely damaging over 30 homes. Evacuations were ordered for 300 people. Roofs and sheds were torn apart, power poles were snapped in half, trees down and a truck flipped on its side. One person was injured according to local media. Environment Canada will be on scene today to determine the exact width and intensity of the tornado. Other regions of Ontario including Hamilton were under tornado warnings. Further east 104km/h winds cut power and toppled trees in Trenton. Heavy rain along the 401 corridor produced dangerous driving conditions with zero visibility in sudden downpours. Over 30,000 Ontario homes were left without power from the storms.

(Global News) Major damage was reported in Angus, Ontario. 

MONTREAL

As the system arrived in Montreal just after midnight early this morning, torrential rain fell with 24mm (1 inch) in less than 1 hour here on L'Ile Perrot. The system has now raced off to the east and is already over Atlantic Canada. More showers and thunderstorms are possible in Ontario and Quebec today along a weak cold front before we see clearing and cooler weather into the weekend. Temperatures will be warm today near 26C before it cools to 22C on Thursday.

Lightning Safety 101

At any given second, lightning is striking the earth somewhere, nearly 2000 thunderstorms are active around the earth every minute! Lightning is responsible for numerous deaths and injuries, and tons of damage to homes, electrical devises and power grids. Numerous fires are also started by lightning.

First of all, there is no safe place outdoors during a thunderstorm, your best defense, get inside. While your chances of being struck by lightning are slim, 10 Canadians pay the ultimate price for that gamble in an average year. Another 150 to 160 are injured, some with injuries that will stay with them for life. The average bolt of lightning contains enough energy, 300 million volts in a typical flash of lightning, to light a 100-watt incandescent light bulb for about three months. The air displaced by lightning is heated to a temperature 5 times that of the sun, nearly 28,000C, (50,000F) enough to melt car tires and burn skin. If you are stuck outside, get as low as you can, make yourself as small as possible.

I took this picture near my home in Kemptville, Ontario back in 2009. Lightning occurs quickly and is one of the top weather killers in North America. (ValleyWX Photo)

One of the myths about lightning is that it never strikes the same place twice. Note that the Empire State building in New York City is struck an average of more than 100 times each year. Rule number one, lightning likes tall objects, stay away from trees. Most deaths across North America are from those who seek shelter under a tree during a thunderstorm, it is one of the worst places you can be. Another is anywhere on or near water. Head ashore as soon as threatening weather approaches. You should always know the risk of thunderstorms when boating or at the beach. Keep a weatheradio with you at all times, they are cheap and could be a lifesaver, or download one of the may weather applications for your smartphone.

Lightning can strike more than 5km from the parent storm, so as soon as you hear thunder, head indoors. Refrain from outdoor activities such as swimming, soccer or golfing for at least 30 minutes after the last thunder occurs. A recent study by Environment Canada indicated that as little as 3-5% of individuals injured or killed by lightning in Canada are by a direct hit. Most occur by ground current (40-50%) or side flash (20-30%). That is why it is so important to refrain from using electrical appliances such as phones or computers that are hardwired directly to your home. Cordless items are fine to use. 

You are relatively safe inside a car, however if a car is directly hit, significant damage, including fire and blown out windows can occur. Just last week a couple from Tofield, Alberta had their truck struck by lighting. The vehicle became engulfed in a fireball and filled with smoke. It rolled to a stop with the electrical system destroyed. They were rescued by a passing RCMP officer. I posted a still image above taken form a nearby security camera.

Another myth, is that people struck can't be touched. A person struck by lightning is safe to handle immediately, they may need CPR or other medical attention.