Homeowners in Montreal have been asked to refrain from watering their lawns as water levels dip to historic lows. Meanwhile, cities in Ontario have issued extreme heat alerts as temperatures across the country continue to swell.
Since last June Montreal has seen 300 millimetres less rain than normal and water levels around the Port of Montreal are 114 centimetres below average.
“We have below average water levels on all the Great Lakes currently,” Rob Caldwell, a water resources engineer with Environment Canada told CTV Montreal. “The Great Lakes have also been relatively dry in recent weeks,” he added.
The low water levels follow a milder-than-normal winter that saw less snow.
At Montreal’s Lord Reading Yacht Club, harbour master Mark Edwards said many boats can’t leave the harbour with the water levels so low.
“This hasn’t been seen in maybe forty years,” he said.
He said if water levels don’t rise, yachts will have to be removed from the harbour with a crane -- a process that will cost thousands of dollars.
The city could see some rain early next week with Environment Canada forecasting a 40 per cent chance of rain for Sunday and a 30 per cent chance of rain for Monday.
However the heat is expected to linger for much of the weekend with temperatures hovering in the low 30s – about 7C higher than the historic average – and no precipitation in the forecast.
Meanwhile in Newfoundland, federal fishery officials have closed 63 of the provinces 185 recreational salmon rivers because of low water levels and warm temperatures. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans said conditions will need to improve before the rivers can reopen for fishing.
Firefighters were busy battling a series of brush fires in Ottawa Thursday and Friday as the dry ground helped a 10-acre fire develop into a 100-acre fire.
“Because of the dryness and the ground being so dry, the fire had gotten into the roots,” Ottawa firefighter Marc Messier told CTV Ottawa. “It’s very labour intensive.”
Health Canada warned that the air quality in Ottawa will worsen as a result of the smoke and existing heat.
Messier said it’s important to stay hydrated and remain in air-conditioned areas during periods of extreme heat.
“Watch for those heat illness symptoms and if there is (symptoms) make sure you call help,” he added.
Due to the drought conditions a burn ban was put in place in Ottawa, along with the provinces of Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
Fruit and vegetable farms in Ontario are drying up under summer sun, following a hot and dry spring.
Jack Dekok said he’s hoping for three to four days of steady rain for the fruits on his Ottawa berry farm to perk up.
“With the strawberries and raspberries, this is the worst it’s been in years . . . this year we're hurting,” he said.
South of the boarder more than half of the country is experiencing a massive drought. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has declared the dried up lands the largest natural disaster area in the country’s history.
The drought follows a blistering heat wave where more than 170 all time temperature records were broken or tied, according to the National Climatic Data Centre.
In many parts of the country there’s little rainfall in the forecast.
With a report from CTV Montreal, CTV Ottawa and files from The Canadian Press
