‘Heat dome’ over Ontario and Quebec causing wild weather across much of Canada

Environment Canada says scorching temperatures over the east are causing below-normal temperatures in other regions, leading to wet snow and heavy rain warnings in the West.

Blame the heat dome hanging over Ontario and Quebec for some of the strange weather hitting other parts of the country.

Environment Canada meteorologist Julien Pellerin says scorching temperatures over the eastern part of the continent are causing below-normal temperatures in other regions, which have led to warnings of wet snow and heavy rain in the West.

“If you have a heat dome on a sector, you can expect colder air in another sector, so that’s what the Prairies are currently experiencing,” Pellerin said on Sunday.

“It’s coming from the United States, a high-pressure system that doesn’t move quickly … so it brings intense heat and moist air over southern Ontario and southern Quebec and it’ll settle there for the next three days.”

The dangerous temperature levels span from southwestern Ontario towards North Bay, Sudbury and Timmins, while in Quebec the highest temperatures are expected from Montreal to Shawinigan and north up to Abitibi.

Pellerin says he expects Ontario and Quebec to hit their peak daytime highs on Monday and Tuesday with temperatures rising above 30 C, and the humidex making it feel more like 40 to 45 degrees, depending on the region.

“It won’t last very long,” he added. “By the end of Tuesday and Wednesday, we will have a transition in air mass all over Canada, especially over Quebec and Ontario.”

In the meantime, the effects of the heat dome are bringing surprises to other parts of the country.