2024 broke records across the Quebec weather spectrum

In some ways, 2024 was the perfect storm.

“Stick a thermometer into the province that says well done,” said Environment Canada climatologist David Phillips.

The year starting with downed trees and power loss in Quebec, but it also saw extreme temperatures.

“This past fall was the warmest on record. The summer was the warmest on record and I'm talking about 77 years of record,” Phillips said, adding that “spring came out to be about the third warmest in 77 years, so still near the top.”

The month of April also brought a major highlight in the heavens with the total solar eclipse. The once-in-a-lifetime occurrence was visible across a narrow band covering North America and Montrealers had a front-row seat.

“Who would have thought that at the beginning of April you could ever have clear unlimited visibility? I mean it's usually a cloudy month,” Phillips explained.

The summer followed with several days of scorching weather, including 13 days of temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius.

However, the region couldn't possibly have prepared for the wet weather that would also come.

“Hurricane Beryl came up there in about July the 10th and dropped about 100 millimetres of rain in the city of Montreal and it inundated roads, and the Decarie expressway was like a canal; 12,000 people lost power and a month later then you had hurricane Debby.”

Pooling water is shown on a street during heavy rain in Montreal, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. Environment Canada has issued a rainfall warning for the province. (Graham Hughes / The Canadian Press)

According to Environment Canada, the remnants of tropical storm Debby brought Montreal roughly 155 millimetres of rain, making the downpour the wettest moment in the city's history.

It also became the most expensive weather incident in the history of Quebec.

Weeks later, a water main broke flooding streets near downtown - including the CTV News Montreal, RDS and Noovo Info studios.

Water spews from a major water main break in Montreal. (Daniel J. Rowe/CTV News)

After a holiday season of above-seasonal temperatures, freezing rain and smog warnings, it's a wonder what 2025 has in store.

“I would hope it's not as stormy and that way maybe hurricanes will go back to being more of an east coast kind of thing than a mid-continent kind of thing,” said Phillips.

As January temperatures drop to the usual seasonal range, Environment Canada hopes Montreal will see a more normal climate in 2025.