Summer 2023: A historic season in Quebec

A summer to forget

If you find that summer has a bitter taste, this is explained by the fact that Quebec has a particularly wet season. Many areas not only received more than normal rainfall but also lacked sunshine. Indeed, the summer of 2023 was the grayest in history, especially in Montreal.

“Rainfall totals since the start of the meteorological summer (June 1) have been above normal,” confirms Meteorologist Patrick Duplessis. “This trend is seen towards the eastern part of the province. Sherbrooke and Caspé have doubled their normal rainfall from June 1 to August 16. Based on this summer’s rainfall, The reality is quite different in the northwestern part of the province, which is less than normal on this side. »

A watered-down capital

In terms of water accumulation, Quebec stands out during this season. With just a fortnight to go and rain on the radar, the summer of 2023 has broken Capital-National’s old record. In fact, total rainfall has now exceeded 500 mm.

“This is already a record rainfall for the summer, and the last two weeks of the month will push totals even higher,” explains Patrick Duplessis. Quebec thus joins Sherbrooke in the clan of rainy summers. »

Gray color

Rainfall has been heavy so far and Quebec has had no sunshine. This data on hours of sunlight tells a lot about the quality of the season. Indeed, the summer of 2023 is disappointing in many respects, but above all in the lack of light. In this regard, Montreal and Quebec can go down in history.

“When total hours of good weather (less than 50% cloud cover during the day) are compiled, the summer of 2023 stands out,” continues Patrick Duplessis. Projecting hours through the end of August, Montreal will have 340 to 370 hours of good weather and Quebec 270 to 300 hours. Either way, this would be the lowest number since data began in 1953.

In collaboration with meteorologist Patrick Duplessis.

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