In summary :
- First August stammer under a warm shove;
- Mid-month trend down sharply;
- Summer heat: August could surpass July.
In general, everything seems to indicate that August 2022 will be warmer than July. “August would have a potential deviation of one to two degrees above normal for the whole month, which could make it the hottest month of the summer,” estimates weather expert Réjean Ouimet. Since 1942, such a phenomenon has occurred 14 times. The most recent case is 2021, where the eighth month of the year surpassed its predecessor by almost 3°C.
Several regions could therefore record more days than usual with mercury at or above 30°C. Gatineau, for example, is the most watched city, averaging four days. Montreal follows with 2.8 days.
This scenario will not go smoothly and August 2022 will be punctuated by the back and forth of mild mercury. A dome of intense heat has taken hold in the central United States. It is he who will change the situation: occasionally he could migrate a little to the east and affect the weather in Quebec.
Act One: Heat in abundance
This is likely to be the case in the first half of August. The atmospheric context will indeed be favorable for the entry of warm air, setting the stage for a possible heat wave at the beginning of the month. A heat wave cannot be ruled out, as the mercury could occasionally rise to 30°C. Humidity could also be a factor, with perceived temperatures exceeding 35 in some places.
However, it is early to say and the situation is being monitored.
“Since there is no heat without sunshine, we have to understand that the conditions are mostly nice during this period,” explains Réjean Ouimet.
Act Two: Return to Seasonal Horizons
This trend will end around mid-August when the jet stream over La Belle province is expected to deepen. The cold air in the north of the continent could therefore seep into Quebec’s soil. Slightly cooler day and night temperatures are therefore on the radar.
Third act: turn
But the warm air masses have not yet spoken their last word and could flow over Quebec again just in time for the last third of the month. A mercury above the seasonal norm is therefore possible to end the meteorological summer.
“This sustained heat should push August into the top 20 hottest months while sealing the fate of the long drawn-out summer of 2022,” the weather expert concluded.
Curtain !
The only drop of bitterness: Both the normal values and the length of the day fell in August. From August 15, the average temperature decreases by 1°C per week. Here are the averages by region from August 1st to August 31st:
Gaspé: 25°C to 21°C Sept-Îles: 21°C to 17°C Rimouski: 23°C to 19°C Saguenay: 24°C to 21°C Quebec and Sherbrooke: 25°C to 22°C Montreal and Gatineau: 27°C to 24°C Val-d’Or: 23°C to 20°C
In collaboration with meteorologists Patrick Duplessis and Réjean Ouimet