Climate Quebec
The main topic of conversation in Quebec, the climate never seems to be unanimously agreed upon. "Damn, it's so cold! Y vas-tu finir l'hiver! Tired of the snow! Will summer finally arrive? We're dying of heat! More rain! these are just a few examples of key phrases that never fail to come up in any good exchange between friends, or even with a stranger. The mood of Quebecers is perfectly in tune with the weather, fluctuating according to temperature, precipitation and Mother Nature's little excesses. It's understandable: snow removal the day after the thousandth storm of the season is a bit of a morale killer. Although summer is warm and beautiful in many parts of the country, it's winter that really makes an impression, especially on international visitors and expatriates. But all is not so idyllic, as Quebec - like everywhere else - suffers the impacts of climate change.
The Quebec climate
Due to its size, latitude and position at the eastern end of the North American continent, Quebec is subject to significant temperature variations: long, harsh winters (down to -25°C) and short, hot summers (20-30°C or more), characteristic of a continental climate with a wide temperature range. However, climatic variations are noticeable: the regions near the St. Lawrence enjoy a more temperate and humid climate, but as you move northwards, winters become icy and summers cooler (subarctic and arctic climates), although the temperature gap between seasons remains (in Inuit territory: average of around 11°C in July, average of around -23°C in January).
Winter begins in November and lasts until late March or early April. When it snows, the temperature eases, but when the wind gets involved, it has the opposite effect, lifting the powdery snow and creating blowing and drifting snow. Rain and sleet are frequent in the cold season, and then the transition from winter to summer is just as abrupt as from summer to winter, with spring (thaw) and autumn (freeze) being brief intermediate seasons. The summer season is short (June to mid-September), but hot and humid, especially in southern Quebec, where the mercury often rises above 30°C. In October, after the first frosts, Indian summer sometimes offers a few days of respite and warm weather. It's the last glimpse of sunshine, a summer embassy before the arrival of the cold weather. In days gone by, First Nations would take advantage of these fine days to go on their last hunts in the forest before winter. It was also the time when the first settlers were subjected to the final attacks of the natives before the cold weather set in.
Precipitation is much more abundant below the 51st parallel, covering almost the entire inhabited area of Quebec, from James Bay south to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Rain, snow and hail total an average of 1,000 mm annually, nearly three-quarters of which falls as rain. The humid climate of the southern St. Lawrence and Atlantic fringe results in a heavy, muggy atmosphere in summer, and heavy snow, fog and storms in winter. As you move northwards, precipitation decreases, reaching just 500 mm annually in the polar climate of the tundra.
Wind chill and humidex: what are they?
In Quebec, you'll find that there are always two temperatures: actual and felt. But what is this famous "felt temperature"? It's actually a sensation rather than a measurable datum. It takes into account two factors: wind chill (FRE) in winter and humidex in summer.
In the case of wind chill, it's the sensation of cold caused by the wind and felt on exposed skin. Humidex, on the other hand, takes into account the level of humidity in the air. In both cases, they are used to measure the level of discomfort and risk to the body.
In the near future, however, these two indices may be replaced by the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI). This does not combine temperature with any other factor, but rather integrates four: temperature, air humidity, wind speed and sunshine, i.e. the amount of solar radiation received.
The impacts of climate change in Quebec
Between 1950 and 2011, average annual temperatures in the south of the province rose by between 1 and 3°C, a trend that is set to intensify over the coming decades. The resulting impacts are numerous, notably on the health and safety of the population (respiratory and cardiovascular problems due to the increased number and duration of heatwaves, or increased air pollution). Some plant and animal species could disappear and others move further north, while exotic or harmful species have already appeared, as witnessed by the rapid spread of Lyme disease-carrying ticks in southern Quebec. Rising sea levels, reduced ice cover, thawing permafrost, heavy rainfall, more frequent storms and more frequent freeze-thaw cycles are also having a disastrous impact on infrastructure, as well as on economic sectors such as agriculture, forestry, mining and tourism.
Climate disasters in the spotlight
They're not new, but they're happening more frequently and with greater intensity. Just think of the great Saguenay deluge in 1996, when torrential rains overloaded dam basins, causing major flooding, notably in Chicoutimi and La Baie. In January 1998, the ice storm paralyzed all of southwestern Quebec, with up to 100 mm of freezing rain accumulating in the space of a few days, leaving nearly a million people without power. More recently, in September 2018, tornadoes struck the Ottawa-Gatineau region, destroying entire residential sectors on both sides of the Ottawa River, a first in such a densely populated area. Then came the spring floods of 2017 and 2019, the forest fires and flash floods of summer 2023...
A government action plan
While the public and the authorities must adapt to these more frequent climate disruptions, the government must also do its part. The 2013-2020 Action Plan on Climate Change has come to an end, but it will still have seen a number of initiatives come to fruition: acceleration of the electrification of transportation and the creation of companies in this field, support for research and development in the area of clean technologies, reduction in the consumption of fossil fuels, etc. In 2020, the 2030 Green Economy Plan was unveiled, which aims to reduce Quebec's greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
