NB flood by numbers

Flooding forces closure of Randolph Bridge on west side of Saint John, 05 May 2018 (Twitter/City of Saint John)

Some residents are still recovering from the historic spring flooding along the southern St. John River and its tributaries.

Flood levels were elevated between 27 April and 18 May affecting Fredericton, Saint John and areas in between.

By the numbers (provided by Government of New Brunswick):

• 12,000 – properties affected by flooding to some degree
• 2,627 – residents who registered for disaster financial assistance
• 1,871 – residents who asked for health and safety inspection of properties
• 1,110 – households registered with the Canadian Red Cross
• 4,000 – tonnes of debris from flood dumped at landfills

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St. John River flooding reaches historic levels

Flooding forces closure of Randolph Bridge on west side of Saint John, 05 May 2018 (Twitter/City of Saint John)

After steadily rising for more than a week, water levels along the southern portion of the St. John River have surpassed the historic flood in 1973.

Environment Canada is forecasting more rain for Southern New Brunswick with up to 20 mm possible by Monday after 30 mm fell Friday and early Saturday.

The Coast Guard and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans have provided vessels to help with evacuations and Transport Canada has deployed surveillance aircraft.

Almost 1,000 people have registered as evacuees with the Red Cross.

Many roads have been closed by the flooding including the Trans Canada Highway between River Glade and Oromocto – the detour through Saint John adds one hour of travel time between Moncton and Fredericton.

Flooding closes TCH

Floodwaters from St. John River lapping at the Trans Canada Highway near Jemseg, NB, 03 May 2018 (Hay/Facebook)

Floodwaters covering the road near Jemseg have forced the closure of the Trans Canada Highway between Moncton and Fredericton.

The Emergency Management Organization says the road could be closed for several days until water levels recede.

A long detour forces travellers to go through Saint John via Routes 1 and 7.

EMO says the water continues to rise along the southern St. John River and may exceed levels last seen during the historic 1973 flood.

They’re back!

Dandelions growing in NE Moncton, 02 May 2018 (Dearing)

Dandelions have made their return to Southeast New Brunswick a little later than usual thanks to a cold spring.

The yellow plants or weeds were spotted today when the temperature climbed to 24.5 C in Greater Moncton – the warmest high so far this year.

The hotspot in New Brunswick was St. Stephen at 29 C and Fredericton was not far behind at 28 C.

But a cold front is pushing through the province which will bring rain and dramatically lower temperatures overnight with single digit highs expected tomorrow.

St. John River continues rising

Areas of Saint John under voluntary evacuation, 01 May 2018 (City of Saint John)

Flooding continues in Fredericton where water levels have increased again to a point where the benchmark of 2008 was reached.

New Brunswick’s Emergency Measures Organization is warning levels are rising along the southern region of the St. John River basin.

Residents from Jemseg and Gagetown to Quispamsis and Saint John are being told to be on high alert and expect flooding if it has occurred in the past.

Several neighbourhoods of Saint John are under a voluntary evacuation (see map above) due to flooding, road closures and rising waters along the river.

Flooding along the St. John River

Flooding along the St. John River in Fredericton, 28 April 2018 (Coleman/Twitter/Weather Network)

Recent heavy rains and melting snow have caused flooding along the St. John River Valley especially in Fredericton.

Streets and parking lots in the downtown core have been left underwater.

Emergency Management Organization officials say the river was 1.7 metres above flood stage in Fredericton by late Saturday – a level not seen since the major flood of 2008.

Communities further downstream have also been flooded including Maugerville and Jemseg with some roads impassable due to high water levels.

Strike number 3!

Wet, heavy snow in NE Moncton, 14 March 2018 (Dearing)

The third Nor’easter in a week to strike Southeast New Brunswick packed less punch than the other two despite predictions it would be the strongest.

Temperatures remained near freezing in Greater Moncton during the snowfall which made it extremely heavy and wet and strong winds gusted to 85 km/h.

The western and northeastern parts of the province were hardest hit from this storm.

Snowfall totals as of 9pm ADT, 14 March:

• Miramichi  46 cm
• Bathurst  40 cm
• Fredericton  38 cm
• Saint John  27 cm
• Greater Moncton  16 cm
• Halifax Stanfield Airport  12 cm
• Charlottetown  5 cm

Peak wind gusts:

• Grand Etang  146 km/h
• Lunenburg  104 km/h
• Sydney  85 km/h
• Halifax Stanfield  83 km/h

Surprise! Lots of snow

Freshly fallen snow in west end Moncton, 18 Jan 2018 (Dearing)

Almost 20 cm of snow fell in Greater Moncton yesterday and it came without any official weather warnings.

Some media outlets were suggesting more than 20 cm while Environment Canada was calling for between 10 and 14 cm.

The snowfall turned out to be the second heaviest of the season so far after the Christmas Day storm.

The low pressure system also brought 14 cm to Saint John, 17 cm in the Fredericton area and about 20 cm in Grand Manan and Alma.

Even higher amounts were recorded in eastern Prince Edward Island, northern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island.

Greater Moncton spared worst of storm

Powerful storm surge causes flooding along the waterfront in Halifax, NS, 05 Jan 2018 (Twitter)

The ‘bomb cyclone’ or ‘snow hurricane’ – featuring a dramatic drop in atmospheric pressure when warm and cold air collided – has left the Maritimes and spared Southeast New Brunswick from the worst of its fury.

While strong winds were a factor throughout the region, Greater Moncton received less snow compared to further north and west.

To the south and east, more rain fell along with hurricane-force winds (up to 200 km/h gusts in western Cape Breton) which created powerful storm surges causing flooding along the coast.

Here are some totals from Environment Canada and local estimates:

• Greater Moncton Airport  14 cm snow, 10 mm rain, 91 km/h wind gust
• Bathurst  58 cm snow, 80 km/h wind gust
• Fredericton  30 cm snow, 78 km/h wind gust
• Saint John  5 cm snow, 20 mm rain, 87 km/h wind gust
• Halifax Stanfield Airport  40 mm rain, trace snow, 122 km/h wind gust

The storm may have departed but Arctic air has filtered back into the Maritimes which will mean a bitterly cold weekend.

Western NB gets drenched

~20mm of rain overnight in #Halifax, up to 44mm down the coast. Not nearly as much as SW #NewBrunswick but still significant. #NSwx #NSstorm pic.twitter.com/5QLEhoUUo1

— Patrick Duplessis (@Pat_wx) October 27, 2017

A slow moving frontal system brought heavy rain to western New Brunswick with about 20 mm falling per hour in the southwest.

Environment Canada reported 174 mm of rain in St. Stephen over a two day period which is a shocking amount considering about 180 mm fell from June to September.

Other amounts include 112 mm in Edmundston, 93 mm in Woodstock and 74 mm in Fredericton.

Rainfall totals were much lower in Southeast New Brunswick where only 27 mm fell at the Greater Moncton International Airport.

Tropical air with this system broke more record highs in Atlantic Canada with a maximum of 23.4 C in Moncton and Bouctouche, 23.5 C in Cheticamp, 22.0 C in Deer Lake and 21.2 C in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.