New research from Concordia University is suggesting Montreal will be seeing more varying and isolated weather patterns because of climate change.
It could be something like seeing rain at the airport while it is sunny downtown, but varying weather can also be much more damaging, like when NDG was hit with a microburst last week, while nearby St-Henri was entirely spared.
The research uses data from NASA satellites on the historical climate for the region and looked at projected trends for the future.
It found the region will see faster, more intense changes in weather and more drastic differences between areas mere kilometres apart.
“This means that we will see more differences in the long-term climate over the Island of Montreal and its neighbouring regions,” said Ali Nazemi, lead author of the study and an assistant professor in the university's Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Nazemi says Montreal's current singular approach to urban planning will have to change to keep up with the effects of global warming.
"As the spatial variance in the projected changes in our climate also increases, the current approach of one-size-fits-all will no longer be feasible," he said. "For instance, a sewage system designed to prevent flooding in downtown Montreal may fail to prevent flooding in Dorval.”