Record lows in Maritimes

We are now several weeks into the growing season and temperatures are dropping to dangerously cold lows.

Farmers are concerned about damage to crops after a cool air mass and clear skies led to a frigid low of -4 C in parts of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia overnight.

Greater Moncton dropped to -3.2 C early today which broke the old record of -2.2 C from 1903 and records go back to 1881.

The following new record lows were set on 04 June:

• Kouchibouguac National Park, NB -3.8 C (records since 1924)
• Grand Manan, NB -2.2 C (records since 1883)
• Port Hawkesbury, NS -2.6 C (records since 1875)
• Ingonish, NS -2.2 C (records since 1950)
• Summerside, PEI -1.9 C (records since 1898)
• Charlottetown, PEI -1.0 C (records since 1872)

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Flooding destroys roads, bridges across southern N.B.

 

Kay Road is washed out by flooding in McKees Mills, Kent County, NB, 14 Jan 2018 (91.9 The Bend/Facebook)

Heavy rain and fast melting snow from the weekend storm swelled rivers and streams throughout Southern New Brunswick.

Floodwaters swept away culverts and damaged bridges including the historic covered Bell Bridge which crews say is beyond repair and will be torn down.

Washouts and severe erosion forced the Department of Transportation to close dozens of roads and reduce others to one lane.

Residents have been urged to report storm damage to the provincial Emergency Measures Organization and contact their insurance companies for losses.

Deadly mudslides in California

Aftermath of mudslides in Santa Barbara, CA, USA, 09 Jan 2018 (US Coast Guard)

Only a month after California endured searing wildfires, the southern part of the state is now grappling with deadly mudslides thanks to heavy rain and barren ground from a recently scorched landscape.

Santa Barbara County has been the hardest hit area with hundreds of homes damaged and at least 65 destroyed.

The death toll stands at 17 with almost 30 injured and more than 40 reported missing.

Thousands lost electricity and a portion of a major highway (US 101) had to be temporarily closed due to the mud which covered it.

Microburst in Montreal

Damage from microburst in Notre-Dame-de-Grace, Montreal, QC, 22 Aug 2017 (Instagram)

A sudden and powerful storm which meteorologists call a microburst created a path of damage in Montreal which included the Notre-Dame-de-Grace borough.

Strong, gusty linear winds up to 120 km/h brought down trees and power lines leaving thousands without electricity on Tuesday.

Environment Canada has confirmed a tornado struck Lachute, northwest of Montreal, where winds reached up to 180 km/h.

No one was hurt but hundreds of homes were damaged and some residents have been displaced.

Tornado touches down in Alberta

Tornado swirling near Three Hills, AB, 02 June 2017 (TWN/Twitter)

A large tornado touched down in central Alberta near Three Hills on Friday afternoon amid severe thunderstorms.

Environment Canada had issued a tornado warning for the region which lasted about half an hour.

Officials say wind speeds up to 130 km/h caused damage to trees, roofs and buildings but no one was hurt.

Hermine hits Florida

Damage to a road along Florida panhandle coast from Hurricane Hermine, 02 Sept 2016 (CNN)

The first hurricane to hit Florida in 11 years, pounded the state’s panhandle region early this morning.

Hermine was packing winds up to 130 km/h when it came ashore before quickly being downgraded to a tropical storm.

Hermine knocked out power to hundreds of thousands and torrential downpours brought flooding to low-lying areas.

The storm is expected to move north up the Atlantic coast and could even impact Nova Scotia and New Brunswick early next week.

Tornado season ramps up in American Midwest

Tornado damage in Fairdale, Illinois, USA, 10 April 2015 (Twitter)

The roughly 200 residents of the small community of Fairdale, Illinois, northwest of Chicago, are assessing the destruction from a powerful tornado which struck two days ago.

Authorities say at least two people were killed and dozens of others injured in a vast storm system which brought strong winds and heavy rain to a large swath of the American Midwest.

A good news story came from Rochelle, Illinois when emergency crews were able to remove debris and rescue 12 people from a restaurant who had taken refuge in the basement.

The severe weather also cancelled hundreds of flights at Chicago’s two major airports.

Tornado tears up Southern Ontario

Residents of Angus, Ontario assess tornado damage, 17 June 2014 (Instagram)

The damage is being assessed in the small town of Angus, Ontario after thunderstorms spawned a tornado last evening.

Environment Canada officials have confirmed a twister touched down about 100 km north of Toronto but no one was seriously hurt.

Dozens of homes were damaged and while some minor injuries were reported, emergency crews say the tornado struck when most residents were awake and children were home likely preventing casualties.

Meantime, several golfers on a course near Stouffville were injured after being struck by lightning as the severe weather hit.

Canada’s first 2014 tornado confirmed in Ontario

Courtesy The Weather Network