Montrealers can expect a pleasant stretch of spring weather midweek before rain moves in for the weekend, as forecasts also point to a cooler and wetter-than-usual summer ahead.
Wednesday will bring a mix of sun and cloud with a high of 24 Celsius and a humidex making it feel closer to 25 C. There is a 30 per cent chance of showers late in the afternoon, while northwest winds are expected to pick up near noon. Conditions will remain mild overnight with a low of 13 C.
Thursday is expected to stay mostly dry with a mix of sun and cloud and a daytime high of 21 C.
The weather is set to shift Friday as showers move into the region, bringing cooler temperatures with highs around 19 C. Rain is expected to continue into Friday night and through much of Saturday.
Showers are also forecast for Sunday, with temperatures dipping to a high of 16 C.
The start of next week looks more seasonal, with a mix of sun and cloud expected Monday and Tuesday and temperatures gradually climbing back into the low 20s.
Summer forecast
MétéoMédia forecasts below-normal seasonal temperatures this summer for much of Quebec and Ontario, and above-normal precipitation.
The rapid transition from La Niña to El Niño during the summer is expected to cause scorching weather in the west of the country, but the opposite is expected in the east.
MétéoMédia is forecasting the coolest summer season in Quebec since 2017.
That summer, the average daytime temperature in Montreal was 24.6 C.
“Generally, a transitional summer towards El Niño does not favour high temperatures in eastern Canada” and “this kind of transition does not favour the establishment of a well-anchored weather pattern,” explained André Monette, head of meteorology at MétéoMédia.
There will therefore be “an alternation of weather regimes” during the summer, with “some warmer periods”, but also “some cooler periods” in Quebec, the meteorologist specified.
Although a summer without major heat waves is forecast for Ontario and Quebec, there should still be periods of summer heat, but of short duration, according to The Weather Network.
“We expect to have several days with 30 degrees Celsius,” but “maybe less than 32, 33, 34 degrees,” as has been the case several times in the last decade.
Although it is still too early to say for sure, the presence of El Niño could mean a warm autumn for Quebec and Ontario.
“Normally summer should not end abruptly at the end of August, we should have an extension of summer into early autumn,” André Monette cautiously indicated.
More precipitation in Quebec
For most regions of Quebec and Ontario, precipitation is expected to be above seasonal norms in the coming months.
But the few periods of intense heat and humidity should limit the frequency of violent storms.
“By the end of the summer, total rainfall amounts will not greatly exceed seasonal norms,” according to The Weather Network.
Atlantic Provinces
Temperatures are expected to be close to seasonal norms in the Atlantic, according to a statement released Wednesday by The Weather Network.
“Since the number of tropical storms will be limited in the Atlantic basin, rainfall near average is expected for these provinces.”
El Niño, André Monette explained, “normally brings fewer hurricanes, fewer tropical storms to the Atlantic basin. So, for this region, it’s good news.”
Elsewhere in the country
British Columbia and Alberta are expected to experience “the most significant temperature anomalies this summer,” according to the Weather Network press release, with temperatures expected to be above normal for the two westernmost provinces and near normal in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
In general, residents of the western provinces should expect drier weather.
“The impact on agriculture and the forest fire season will need to be monitored in the coming months,” wrote MétéoMédia.
—With files from The Canadian Press, first published in French and translated by CityNews
