“This past month we set a new record”

It's official: last month Kuujjuaq experienced its warmest month of May since community weather records were first taken in 1947.

"This past month we set a new record, and there's a chance we will also beat the record this month," said meteorologist René Héroux from Environment Canada's Montreal weather station.

That's because Kuujjuaq's warm temperatures have continued to break past record highs in June.

On June 17, the high temperature reached 27.9 C, making Kuujjuaq the warmest place in Quebec.

The air conditioners purchased a couple of years ago by the Northern Village of Kuujjuaq kept things cool at the town hall, but workers at the Kativik Regional Government's head office, which has no air conditioning, sweltered in the heat.

The normal temperature range for June 17 is between 2 C and 12 C.

The warmth persisted throughout last week, with temperatures hovering around 20 C.

Temperatures in the 20s are not uncommon in Kuujjuaq in June, but have been more frequent over the past years. In 1999, a record-breaking high of 33.1 C was registered on June 24.

According to Environment Canada, temperatures in Kuujjuaq ran about five degrees above average during May.

At the end of the month, May's average temperature – that is, the high and low temperatures averaged together – stood at 5.6 C, while the normal average temperature for May is 0.3 C.

This year's average tops the average of 5.3 C set in 1952 and 2006.

The current spring and early summer, which many Kuujjuamiut say is the warmest in memory, may be an indication the climate is undergoing rapid warming.

"Our climate is variable, but climate change is witnessed mainly in the North. This is a good example," Héroux said.

The cost of operating air conditioners isn't yet a financial burden to the municipality, said Kuujjuaq mayor Larry Watt, because keeping the windows shut keeps the dust out and reduces wear and tear on electronic equipment.

But there's one visible disadvantage to the unusual warmth: hungry black flies and mosquitoes also arrived earlier, much to the chagrin of Kuujjuaq residents.