Home Research Emergency management Natural Hazards of Canada Blizzards Significant blizzards of the 19th and 20th centuries

Significant blizzards of the 19th and 20th centuries

All damage figures are in year 2000 dollars

1 1999 Precipitation: 118 cm of snow map
Southern Ontario / January / Less than 2 weeks after Toronto was dumped with 40 cm of snow another major storm dumped 78 cm of snow on the city, bringing the total to 118 cm. The storm shut down parts of the Toronto transit system and left thousands stranded. All of Southern Ontario’s 7.1 million people were affected and damages were estimated at $122 million.

2 1998 Precipitation: 50-100 mm freezing rain map
Ontario to New Brunswick / January / Ice storm hit a corridor extending through Kingston, Ottawa, Montréal, Montérégie area south and east of Montréal and on into New Brunswick causing massive power outages. 200 Quebec and 57 Ontario communities declared a disaster with almost 5,000,000 people left without power. Damage estimates are near $7 billion.

3 1996 Precipitation: 100 cm of snow map
Southwestern BC / December / An unusually heavy snowfall brought traffic and emergency response service to a standstill in the areas of Victoria, the Fraser Valley, and some parts of Vancouver. Damage estimated at $214 million.

4 1994 Precipitation: Wet snow, sleet, 168 km/h winds map
Avalon, NF / December / A severe storm caused build-up of as much as 15 cm in diameter on wires causing major damage to the transmission and distribution systems on the Avalon, Burin and Bonavista Peninsulas.

5 1994 Precipitation: 25 cm of snow, 70 km/h winds, -18°C map
Montréal region, QC / January / Snowfall and high wind combined to produce almost zero visibility, causing major highway accidents and at least 6 deaths. Power failures left about 6,000 homes in Montréal without heat or light overnight.

6 1993 Precipitation: Snow, high winds map
East Coast / March / A severe blizzard caused by a mid-latitude cyclone moved up the North American East Coast eventually claiming more than 240 lives; at one point over 3 million people were left without electricity. Damage estimated at $20 million.

7 1986 Precipitation: 30 cm of snow, 90 km/h winds map
Winnipeg, MB / November / A major storm in Winnipeg produced severe blowing snow, zero visibility; 2 dead.

8 1984 Precipitation: Freezing rain map
St. John’s, NF / April / 200,000 people of the Avalon Peninsula were left without heating and lighting for days after overhead electrical wires snapped from the weight of a 15 cm ice build-up.

9 1983 Precipitation: Freezing rain map
Prairie Provinces / March / The ice storm forced Winnipeg International Airport to close for two days, toppled several large television towers and caused other extensive damage.

10 1982 Precipitation: 60 cm of snow, 80 km/h winds map
Prince Edward Island / February / Islanders were marooned for five days in a crippling blizzard; winds whipped snow into 7m drifts.

11 1982 Precipitation: Snow, 130 km/h winds, -30°C map
Labrador City, NF / January / 2000 people were evacuated from their homes; three people died from extreme cold; power lines snapped from the weight of ice; the city was left without power; a State of Emergency was declared by the mayor.

12 1971 Precipitation: 47 cm of snow, 110 km/h winds map
Montréal, QC / April / The city's worst snowstorm produced huge drifts. Electricity was cut for 2-7 days.

13 1968 Precipitation: Freezing rain and wet snow map
Southern Ontario / January / Three days of freezing rain and wet snow caused widespread power failures, school closures, cancellations or disruption of services, the collapse of several buildings and highway blockages.

14 1967 Precipitation: 175 cm of snow, 100 km/h winds map
Southern Alberta / April / A series of intense winter storms dropped record snow onto southern Alberta. Thousands of cattle, unable to forage for food in the deep snow, perished on the open range.

15 1966 Precipitation: 35 cm of snow, 120 km/h winds map
Winnipeg, MB / March / The storm paralyzed the city for two days.

16 1964 Precipitation: Snow, 90 km/h winds map
Southern Prairies / December / Referred to as the "Great Blizzard", it produced heavy snows, high winds and -34°C temperatures. Three people froze to death and thousands of animals died.

17 1961 Precipitation: Freezing rain, 120 km/h wind gusts map
Montréal, QC / February / This ice storm caused heavily loaded utility wires to snap; a week after the storm, parts of the city were still without electricity. Damage estimated at $40.9 million.

18 1959 Precipitation: Snow, high winds map
St. John’s, NF / February / Described as the province's worst snowstorm, it claimed six lives, left 70,000 without electricity, and blocked roads with 5 m drifts.

19 1947 Precipitation: Snow, high winds map
Prairie Provinces / January / A blizzard raged for 10 days from Winnipeg to Calgary; the railway called it the worst storm in Canadian rail history; one train was buried in a snowdrift 1 km long and 8 m deep.

20 1944 Precipitation: 57 cm. of snow over two days map
Toronto, ON / December / A blizzard accompanied by strong winds caused huge drifts which paralysed the city for days. In all, 21 people died.

21 1941 Precipitation: Snow, 100 km/h winds map
Southern Prairie provinces / March / A severe blizzard producing a storm called an "Alberta Low" lasted 7 hours and caused 76 deaths in the southern parts of the Prairie provinces and the northern U.S.

Back to Natural Hazards of Canada main page.