Wet weather dominates in Ontario, Quebec

Heavy rainfall in Toronto this spring

Looking at the forecast, people in Ontario and Quebec are seeing something familiar: Rain.

“We've been trapped under an upper trough. It has been holding over the region this spring. That's why we've been cloudy, and rainy, and cooler than usual,” says Greg Stephens, a meteorologist at The Weather Network.

The monthly average for rainfall in Toronto is around 72 mm, and already the city has seen 62 mm to date. And in Montreal, over 80 mm of rain has fallen compared to last May, when barely 40 mm was recorded.

The onset of wet weather is spelling trouble for farmers who are weeks behind schedule for the planting season.

“Right now it's primarily affecting corn planting and spring grain planting,” says Todd Austin, Marketing Manager for Grain Farmers of Ontario. “Maybe one percent of the estimated total acreage has been planted to date.”

Rainfall totals in Montreal so far this month

The wet forecast is also a concern for communities south of Montreal, where people are worried about the risk of more flooding in the Richelieu Valley.

Several communities along the Richelieu River had been forced to leave their homes due to floodwaters in recent weeks.

More rain is expected to fall through the day on Wednesday before conditions begin to slightly improve for the Victoria Day long weekend. Temperatures are set to climb and daytime highs near 20°C are expected by the end of the week.

With files from Lisa Varano