Environment Canada has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for Montreal

Environment Canada has issued a weather watch for the Greater Montreal Area as intense winds and rain are expected this afternoon.

The federal weather department issued the thunderstorm watch for Montreal on May 21 at 10:16 a.m., sharing that "conditions [in Montreal] are favourable for the development of dangerous thunderstorms capable of producing very strong wind gusts, large hail and heavy rain this afternoon."

EnviroCan indicated that very strong wind gusts can occur and may damage buildings, blow down trees and even blow large vehicles off the road. Furthermore, any water-related activities are deemed unsafe at the moment due to "violent and sudden gusts of wind over bodies of water."

Environment Canada issues these thunderstorm watches when atmospheric conditions are favourable for the development of storms that could produce large hail, damaging winds and torrential rainfall.

The weather watch is currently in effect for Montreal, Laval, Châteauguay and the La Prairie area, the Eastern Townships, Lachute and Saint-Jérôme, the Richelieu Valley and Saint-Hyacinthe, Upper Gatineau, Lièvre and the Papineau region as well as Vaudreuil, Soulanges and the Huntingdon areas.

Additionally, lightning is also possible and could strike at any given moment. "Remember, when thunder roars, go indoors," the federal agency shared.

According to The Weather Network, thunderstorm-like conditions will begin in Montreal around 2 p.m. this afternoon, and continue well into the night.

Montreal is expected to reach a high of 27 degrees Celsius with a "feels like" factor of 32. Luckily the heat and humidity are expected to lower around the 10 p.m. mark tonight, allowing Montrealers to sleep a bit more comfortably following such muggy conditions.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.