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But Montreal is somewhat protected along the St. Lawrence by the cooling effect of the lake that suppresses thunderstorms, climate scientist says.
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The eastern part of North America has been getting more tornados in recent years, says a climate scientist, and that could mean Montreal could experience more tornado warnings in the future.
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The city saw its first tornado warning in recent memory Thursday and, while no tornado developed here, one was spotted in Mirabel. On the island of Montreal, up to 85 millimetres of rain fell within a two-hour span Thursday afternoon, causing damage from trees and localized flooding.
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David Sills, a researcher and the executive director of Western University’s Northern Tornadoes Project, said when he started his work in 2016, he expected to be studying events occurring in southern Saskatchewan but, instead, most of the tornados he has observed in the last seven years have been in Ontario and Quebec.
Sills said some climate-change research has predicted more tornados in the eastern part of the continent, while previously the west of North America has been more prone to seeing such weather events. So far, his research has borne out that trend, but Montreal seems to see fewer tornados than the Ottawa valley and the Laurentians.
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“We do see the Montreal to Quebec City corridor is not as active as the area just to the north of it, in the forest,” he said. “We get strong tornados there, quite regularly, but less so along the St. Lawrence. I think the lake has a cooling effect that suppresses thunderstorms, as we see with the Great Lakes.”
Sills said with climate change, the season for extreme weather events will likely be extended. However, more research needs to be done to more accurately predict just how extreme these events will be.
“The models are not very good at predicting things that are extreme,” Sills said. “We’re not able to see just how extreme these events are going to be, like the worst storm in 100 years. It’s a science that’s evolving, and the models are improving every year, but we have a long way to go, especially when it comes to extreme events due to summer weather.”
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Roughly 130 homes were flooded, 300 trees were damaged and six intersections were closed because of flooding during Thursday’s storm. More than 1,300 people called the city’s 311 information line during that time.
Speaking to reporters Friday morning, city of Montreal spokesperson Philippe Sabourin said there is work being done on sewers and streets to cope with extreme rain. The city is also creating more parks where water can be absorbed by the ground, instead of overwhelming the sewer system.
The city plans to build three underground reservoirs that will hold water in strategic sites during an extreme rain event, then released gradually into the sewer system. The city has also identified areas where there are issues with flooding, and intends to address that.
“We have an action plan for 2030,” Sabourin said. “We’re investing in our green infrastructures.”
Sabourin said citizens can help out by avoiding emptying their pools during major rain events.
jmagder@postmedia.com
twitter.com/jasonmagder
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