December starts icy in Ontario

Highway 401 multi-vehicle crash near Kingston, ON, 01 Dec 2019 (OPP/Twitter)

A low pressure system delivered an icy mix of precipitation to Southern Ontario on Sunday with freezing rain and ice pellets turning highways and walkways into ice rinks.

Ontario Provincial Police say heavy snow shut down a section of Highway 401 near Kingston after a 30 to 40 vehicle pileup with more than a dozen injured and one fatality.

At least 500 road crashes were reported in the Greater Toronto Area and numerous flights were either cancelled or delayed at Pearson Airport.

Tens of thousands lost electricity after ice-laden tree branches fell onto power lines,

Several towns and cities were forced to cancel their Santa Claus Parades due to the extreme weather.

Manitoba declares state of emergency

A wintry scene in Winnipeg, 12 Oct 2014 (Facebook/Winnipeg)

The Manitoba government declared a state of emergency on Saturday after a powerful storm dumped heavy rain, freezing rain, snow and wind to southern portions of the province this week.

Amid the early winter blast, Manitoba Hydro is trying to restore electricity to thousands of residents after numerous trees and branches – many still covered in leaves – fell onto power lines with winds gusting up to 100 km/h.

The storm was so bad it forced the temporary closure of the Trans Canada Highway from Winnipeg to the Saskatchewan border.

Southern Manitoba got blasted after a Colorado Low moved in from the United States where it brought dramatic temperature drops and heavy snow to the Great Plains states.

The next concern for local emergency measures officials will be flooding as the snow melts given the rising temperatures forecasted over the next few days.

Snowfall totals as of 1pm CDT on Saturday, October 12th:

• Carberry  74 cm
• Morden  64 cm
• Winnipeg  34 cm
• Dauphin  30 cm
• Brandon  29 cm

(Data courtesy Environment Canada)

Storm cleanup continues

Construction crane collapses during Dorian in south end Halifax, NS, 10 Sept 2019 (Coastal Elite/Wikipedia)

No one expected Dorian to batter Southeast New Brunswick with such intensity.

Hurricane-force winds and a powerful storm surge along the Northumberland Strait wrecked wharves and fishing boats, tossed yachts like toys at a marina, flooded campgrounds and destroyed camper trailers.

For the first time in its history, Parlee Beach has been closed to the public after boardwalks and ramps were damaged posing safety risks for visitors.

The cleanup at Murray Beach may take weeks where dozens of fallen trees closed the campground, kitchen shelters were flattened and the beach itself was heavily eroded.

Torrential rain washed out sections of some roads including in Salisbury where a car plunged into a gaping hole.

Public works crews in Greater Moncton have been clearing away downed trees and branches which were responsible for most power outages.

Five days after Dorian, thousands are still without electricity in Nova Scotia where century old trees toppled onto homes and vehicles.

Many city parks remain closed in Halifax due to debris and efforts begin to dismantle a construction crane which collapsed during the strong winds.

Dorian packs powerful punch

Dorian damage in Halifax’s West End, 08 Sept 2019 (NS Power)

Hurricane Dorian has left a path of destruction across the Maritime Provinces despite being downgraded as it crossed the region.

The Canadian Hurricane Centre says Dorian was an intense post-tropical storm as it made landfall at 7:15pm ADT Saturday in Sambro, 25 km southwest of Halifax.

Dorian brought destructive winds, flooding rains and powerful storm surges to much of Nova Scotia, southern New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

A construction crane collapsed and century old trees toppled onto homes, businesses, vehicles and streets in Halifax.

Public works staff are scrambling to clean up the mess and power crews are trying to restore electricity to the tens of thousands without it.

Crews clean up storm damage in Halifax’s west end, 08 Sept 2019 (NS Power)

Rainfall totals (mm) as of 11am ADT Sunday:

• Oxford, NS. 138
• Halifax (Lower Sackville), NS. 138
• Greater Moncton Airport, NB. 121
• Miramichi, NB. 115
• Kentville, NS. 110
• Summerside, PEI. 90
• Saint John, NB. 82
• Fredericton, NB. 75

Peak wind gusts (km/h) as of 11am ADT Sunday:

• Beaver Island (eastern shore), NS. 145
• Yarmouth, NS. 130
• North Cape, PEI. 122
• Halifax (city), NS. 120
• Miscou Island, NB. 106
• Sydney, NS. 104
• Saint John, NB. 102
• Greater Moncton Airport, NB. 100

(Data courtesy Environment Canada)

Hurricane Dorian landfall expected near Halifax

Emergency measures organizations in the Maritimes have been preparing for Hurricane Dorian which is approaching southwestern Nova Scotia with maximum winds of 148 km/h (as of 12pm ADT).

The Canadian Hurricane Centre expects Dorian will make landfall near Halifax on Saturday evening as a Category 1 hurricane.

Residents who live along the Atlantic coast, such as Peggys Cove for example, are being urged to evacuate and move inland.

Long lines were reported at stores and gas stations on Friday as residents scrambled to stock up on food and other supplies.

Hurricane warnings and tropical storm warnings have been issued for all of Nova Scotia including Cape Breton Island, Prince Edward Island and southeast New Brunswick.

Strong winds gusting up to 120 km/h are in the forecast, rainfall amounts could exceed 100 mm and large waves and storm surges are likely along coastlines.

As of 2pm ADT, about 75,000 customers were without electricity in Nova Scotia with some trees toppled over along the province’s south shore.

Greater Moncton and Southeast New Brunswick (warnings as of 2pm ADT)

• Tropical Storm Warning – heavy rain, strong winds, storm surges along the coast
• Wind Warning – gusts up to 90 km/h which could cause damage, uproot trees
• Rainfall Warning – 50 to 100 mm rain (a month’s worth) could cause flooding

Thunderstorms cool off Eastern Canada

Record-breaking heat in the Maritimes yesterday, as temperature rose well into the 30s for some. On top of that, mugginess was very present! #NSwx #NBwx pic.twitter.com/bIEuEz376B

— Patrick Duplessis (@Pat_wx) July 21, 2019

Thunderstorms rolling across Southern Ontario and Southern Quebec this weekend brought an end to oppressive heat and humidity.

Toronto residents were trying to keep cool Saturday when the mercury soared to 33.0°C with a stifling humidex of 44 and Montreal reported similar conditions.

In the Maritimes, even typically cooler coastal areas were warm with new record highs set in Saint John and Grand Manan.

The temperature in Greater Moncton peaked at 32.4°C which fell short of the record of 33.5°C from 1991.

A brief, violent thunderstorm hit Halifax on Sunday afternoon with flash flooding and strong winds knocking out power to more than 44,000 Nova Scotians.

Coastal B.C. gets winter wallop

Victoria, BC, 12 Feb 2019 (Royal BC Museum Inner Harbour Webcam)

Wintry weather doesn’t visit the coast of British Columbia very often but it certainly causes disruption when it arrives.

Following back to back snow days, Vancouver has picked up almost 25 cm of snow with higher amounts in the Fraser Valley and Victoria has recorded more than 40 cm.

An Arctic outflow pushing temperatures below freezing combined with low pressure off Vancouver Island is creating snowy rather than more typical rainy conditions.

Traffic and transit services were snarled, schools were cancelled and scattered power outages kept crews busy in the region.

Storm ravaged B.C. to get more active weather

Power crews working on restoration efforts in Nanaimo, BC, 25 Dec 2018 (BC Hydro)

Almost 7,000 customers are still without electricity in British Columbia after the most powerful windstorm in 20 years struck the province a week ago.

BC Hydro says most of the remaining outages are in the southern Gulf Islands and those customers should be back on the grid by New Year’s Eve.

At the storm’s peak about 700,000 customers were in the dark after wind gusts of between 90 and 123 km/h were recorded on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland.

After a brief quiet period over Christmas, the next system is coming this weekend bringing more active weather including rain, snow, and gusty winds.

Snowstorm sweeps Southeastern U.S.

Man cuts fallen tree blocking a road in South Carolina, 09 Dec 2018 (Reuters)

Several deaths have been reported after a massive snowstorm buried parts of the Southeastern United States with more than 30 cm falling in several major cities to as much as 60 cm in the Appalachian Mountains.

North Carolina and Virginia were especially hard hit by the storm system which slowly moved out into the Atlantic Ocean today.

Highways became hazardous as snowy, icy conditions led to hundreds of collisions, dozens of flights were cancelled and schools and businesses shut down.

About 300,000 customers also lost electricity during the peak as the storm knocked trees onto power lines.

Enough rain already!

Another low pressure system is heading to the Maritimes with two rounds of rain starting early Tuesday stretching into early Wednesday.

Environment Canada says Greater Moncton could receive up to 35 mm of rain but some parts of the region could get 50 mm or more prompting rainfall warnings.

Winds associated with this system will be much lighter compared to the destructive winds over the weekend.

Meantime, NB Power reports about 27,000 customers remain without electricity (at 11pm AST) since restoration efforts began Sunday morning after a weekend rain and wind storm.