Monday was once again hot and humid in Quebec. In several regions, the drought extends.
Environment Canada has published heat warnings for many regions in the eastern country, including southern Quebec.
Maximum temperatures had to reach 35 degrees Celsius in certain sectors during the day, with an equal humidx index or close to 40.
According to the federal agency, the heat and humidity will be there until the passage of a cold front, scheduled from Wednesday.
“Wednesday, it will be better for southern Ontario and southern Quebec, but for the Maritimes and the Gaspé, it will be necessary to wait until Thursday for the end of this heat wave,” said Gérald Cheng, meteorologist at Environment Canada.
“We hope that this cold front will eventually bring rain,” he says. “But temperatures should go back to the weekend again. »»
According to the meteorologist, it has been since July 17 that there has been no significant precipitation in southern Quebec. “And for Montreal, there are 0 mm of precipitation for the month of August,” he said.
With this drought, several municipalities have also published calls to the population to ask to limit the use of drinking water.
A increased risk of fire
The forest protection company against fire (SOPFEU) published last Thursday a noticeable opinion that the hot and dry conditions of the last days, combined with the absence of precipitation, dryed the vegetation.
“The territory has not been watered for several days. But the situation is less critical than elsewhere in Canada, because the relative humidity remains high, “said Philippe Bergeron, spokesperson for the Sopfeu.
Result: despite the drought, we observe relatively few fires in Quebec in the last days. “But the situation could evolve,” he warns.
The risk of fire was still “high” or even “extreme” on Monday for a large part of southern Quebec. According to the Sopfeu forecasts, the situation should improve on Wednesday for the regions north of the St. Lawrence, but remain critical for those located south of the river.
With the Canadian press