Comparison of the Temporal Variability of Maximum Daily Temperatures for Summer Months in Relation to El Nino Events in Southern Québec

Abstract

The goals of this study were (1) to compare the long-term trend of the interannual vari- ability of maximum daily temperatures for four summer months (June, July, August, and September) using the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient and Mann-Kendall tests and (2) to analyze the link between these temperatures and El Niño events of varying intensities using the linear correlation method. Data from 23 stations for the period from 1950 to 2010 were analyzed. As far as the analysis of the long-term trend is concerned, the observed warming is greater for the last 2 months (August and September) than for the first 2 months (June and July) of the summer season, likely as a result of the warming of ocean surface waters. As for the link between El Niño events and summer maximum daily temperatures, a negative correlation was highlighted for the first time between these two variables for southern Quebec. However, this correlation is only observed for the two “cooler” summer months (June and September), likely due to a weak influence of site (station) characteristics on maximum daily temperature variations.