Heat warning prompts school closures in some areas of Quebec on Tuesday

The heat wave which has hit Montreal and most of Quebec has prompted some school closures in the Outaouais and Montérégie regions Tuesday.

Environment Canada issued a heat warning for Tuesday and Wednesday in southern Quebec, saying, “warm, humid air mass is currently affecting much of the province.”

Temperatures are expected to exceed 30 degrees, with humidex values between 37 and 42 in areas from Abitibi-Témiscamingue to the Eastern Townships, including the Montreal metropolitan region.

Some sectors will be faced with temperatures feeling “close to 40″ with the humidex, according to Environment Canada meteorologist Guillaume Perron.

“That’s what’s really hard on the body, on people,” Perron added. “It’s really this humidity, this feeling of suffocation if you will, that can be dangerous for individuals.”

“These warm temperatures could even persist on Thursday and Friday over the southernmost sectors of Quebec”, warned the federal agency.

On Monday, the Centre de services scolaire au Cœur-des-Vallées (CSSCV) in the Outaouais posted on Facebook that it would be closing all 23 of its schools on Tuesday due to the heat.

De Mortagne High School in Boucherville also announced it would be closed Tuesday because of the weather forecast and boil water advisory in effect in its area.

Perron warned daily heat records could be broken on Tuesday or Wednesday in some places.

A reminder that heat-related risks “are greater for young children, pregnant women, the elderly, people with chronic illnesses and those who work or exercise outdoors.”

The weather agency recommends drinking plenty of water and staying cool.

The passage of a cold front should put an end to the heat on Thursday in most parts of Quebec.

-With files from the Canadian Press