Hazards of hail and high winds

A summer signature

Many signs tell us that summer is here in Quebec: melting snow on the ground, buds on the trees, thunderstorms… Now a thunderstorm is possible in southern Quebec on Tuesday afternoon. Most of the system’s available power is in northern New England. However, some sections of Quebec, particularly Estrie, Monterrey, and Lower Laurentian, are overflowing. The danger zone extends from Abitibi to Capital-National, even through Haute-Laurentides. The metropolitan area and Montérégie are to be visited by this evening.

A pronounced interval

Cold air combined with sunlight heating the air at the ground causes this instability. Strong winds are expected in certain areas till Tuesday evening. We are talking about wind gusts exceeding 60 km/h. It is not excluded that some hail may be seen falling from the sky at some places.

Almost as many in May as in September

Thunderstorms are rare in early May, but we should expect to see more of them. On average, Quebec has 12 days of thunderstorms in May. This number increases to 19 in June. So it is normal to have more stormy days at the end of May than in its first weeks.

In a full upward curve

On average, the first thunderstorm hit the province on March 20. However, they are very rare. There are usually only two in the entire month of March. As for heavy thunderstorms, the first one is felt on average on May 3. So we enter the beginning of severe storm season.

Specific conditions

Remember that to be considered a “severe storm,” any one of the following four factors must be present:

• At least 50 mm of rain in a short period;

• Hailstones with a diameter of at least 2 cm;

• Wind blowing at 90 kmph;

• Cyclone risk.

Summer doesn’t just come with good weather. Violent and sudden conditions are an integral part of the beautiful season in Quebec.

See also: On the ground: Flooding in Quebec