“Bees will not swarm before a storm,” says the U.K.’s Royal Meteorological Society, and here’s why: They use the sun to navigate, so a cloudy day “would be the equivalent of somebody smashing up its satnav.” Plus raindrops can damage their delicate wings.
Watching for bees in Montreal’s myriad gardens is a romantic proposition, but you can also look up to guess the forecast, or turn to Environment and Climate Change Canada, which issued a severe thunderstorm watch Tuesday for the Montreal area.
The alert, issued at 10 a.m., warns that “damage to roofs, fences, branches or soft shelters is possible” and reminds the public that “severe thunderstorm watches are issued when conditions are favourable for the development of thunderstorms capable of producing damaging hail, wind or rain.”
The high will be 28 C, with a humidex of 34 and UV index of 3, or moderate. The overnight low will be 19 C.
Look for more showers on Wednesday, then the sun finally breaking through by Thursday.