Storms finally end Toronto dry streak, Montreal’s is next to fall
11 days without precipitation was Toronto’s longest dry stretch so far this year
A rambunctious round of thunderstorms swept through southern Ontario on Saturday afternoon, putting an end to Toronto’s longest dry stretch of the year.
We’re in the midst of a pattern change across the eastern half of the country that’ll make for a much wetter period than we’ve seen for the past few weeks. Montreal’s weeks-long dry streak is the next to fall early this upcoming week.
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A remarkable stretch of dry weather
This is the longest stretch of dry weather we’ve seen in both Toronto and Montreal in all of 2024.
Toronto went 11 consecutive days without precipitation before thunderstorms hit the region with heavy rain, hail, and even a funnel cloud on Saturday afternoon. The city’s previous rainless streak was a stretch of 7 days set back in early February.
It’s still dry over in Montreal, though, where we’ve gone 17 days without rain as of Saturday afternoon. Ottawa’s had rain more recently, but by Saturday they’d gone more than a week without measurable precipitation.
The lack of rain is even more noteworthy given that southern Ontario and southern Quebec both sloshed through exceptionally wet summers. This was the wettest summer ever recorded in both major cities, with Toronto more than doubling its average summer precipitation.
Rain risk pushes into southern Quebec by next week
Saturday’s energy moving across Ontario will fizzle out before it reaches southern Quebec, keeping things dry around Montreal for at least a few more days before our next chance for precipitation blows into the region.
An active storm track will likely guide several low-pressure systems from the U.S. through Ontario, beginning with systems tracking through northwestern Ontario and the northern Great Lakes on Monday.
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Precipitation will push toward the Greater Toronto Area late Monday into Tuesday, extending east toward Ottawa and Montreal by Tuesday and Wednesday.
It’s worth noting that weather models are still struggling with the precise track and timing of these systems and their associated precipitation. Continue checking back through the weekend as forecasters monitor the details of this active pattern ahead.
No matter how things shake out, though, next week will be far wetter than the past two weeks for both Ontario and Quebec.
Header image submitted by Craig Hogg.
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