October may have ended with the first snowfall of the season, but it also started with temperatures climbing above 30°C, before a series of floods eventually turned out to be much hotter and more humid. Natural almost everywhere in Quebec.
All areas of the southern part of the province saw average temperatures 3.4 C to 4.6 C higher than the historical average, Environment Canada noted in its monthly report.
With an average temperature of 12.6°C, Montrealers were particularly spoiled in October, who usually have to make do with an average of 8.5°C. This represents a difference of 4.1 degrees Celsius compared to the historical average recorded between 1981 and 2010.
The scenario is similar in the capital where average temperatures were 10.5 degrees Celsius, or 3.9 degrees Celsius, above normal.
“The freezing point was reached during the third week in Abitibi, Saguenay and the East, and then in the last days of October for the rest of the province, and later almost everywhere,” the organization noted.
Yo-yo weather
The October crossing was a series of ups and downs. The month started with temperatures 12 to 16 degrees Celsius above normal. These broke records for nearly a century with the mercury reaching 30.3°C in Gatineau.
These record numbers were followed by a deluge, thanks to the remnants of Tropical Storm Philip, which left up to 160mm of rain in its wake on October 6 and 7. A smaller deluge followed, contributing to a largely wet October. Montreal also ended the month with an average of 146 mm of rain, or 60% of normal. But the award goes to the Val-d’Or team, which received 200mm of rain, compared to 87mm in a typical year.
The yo-yo started again at the end of the month with temperatures exceeding the monthly average by 10 degrees Celsius in Montreal, followed by the collapse of Mercury and the first snowfall of the year that left 10 to 15 centimeters in the Laurentians, Mauricie, Quebec and Charlevoix.
And now?
Unlike October, November promises to be cooler than usual, at least during the first half of the month. Rainfall should also be lower, Environment Canada said.
Temperature anomalies by city in southern Quebec, between the October 2023 average and the historical normal.
Montreal: +4.1°C
Trois-Rivières: +3.4°C
Quebec: +3.9°C
Saguenay: +4.5°C
Mont Joli: +4.6°C
Gaspé: +3.5°C
September: +3.9°C
Val d’Or: +3.5°C
