‘It was definitely eerie’: Daylight turns to darkness in Quebec as wildfires cause thunderstorm

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LA TUQUE, Que. - The sky turned dark as night in what should be full daylight in La Tuque, Que. At mid-morning, residents of the city of 11,000 people north-east of Montreal watched the hazy sky turn pitch black as massive clouds rolled in and lightning struck the region. Many rushed to capture images of the ominous moments.

“All the lights that usually go on at night when the sun goes down just turned on,” said Marie Pierre Mailhot as she filmed a parking lot.

For hours before the thunderstorm, La Tuque’s sky had been blanketed with smoke that wafted through from fires in northern regions of the country, likely creating a perfect storm for the darkness to set in.

That plume of smoke also hung over Montreal, creating a yellow haze as the sun rose.

“It was definitely eerie,” said Sarah Letsky, a tourist from the United States visiting with her husband Bill. But the heat and smog did not deter them from marking the anniversary of their engagement in Montreal 35 years ago. “We love it. A little windy for kayaking, so we biked instead.”

For professional furniture mover Marc Laramme, the conditions in Montreal were tough.

“Today was super heavy on the lungs and quite hot,” he said. “You need to do things at your own pace, otherwise you are going to just pass out.

Earlier on Tuesday, Environment Canada warned that the smoke from wildfires was causing poor air quality and reduced visibility in Ontario and Manitoba as well. It cautioned that as smoke levels increase, so do health risks and that people should limit time spent outdoors and consider reducing or rescheduling outdoor sports, activities and events.