A spring storm, which passed through the Atlantic Provinces during the last two days of March, left a series of damages in its wake. Heavy snowfall and freezing rain snapped power lines in New Brunswick and PEI. Heavy rainfall added to the spring runoff to cause flooding in all four Atlantic Provinces.

The accompanying map shows the pattern of precipitation that occurred over the Atlantic Region. Areas of rainfall exceeding 100 mm were observed over Southern New Brunswick, across Central Nova Scotia and the West Coast of Newfoundland. The highest total precipitation known at this time is 124 mm at Salmon Hole, NS.

Rainfalls of this magnitude are expected to occur approximately once every 5 to 10 years, on average. In this event, heavy rainfall combined with saturated soil and snowmelt to generate high water levels. Preliminary data indicate that record water levels occurred on the Sackville River in Nova Scotia where water levels were about 1 metre higher than in the 1994, 1996 and 2000 flood events. The LaHave River experienced its second-highest level since 1915 and the Kennebecasis River in New Brunswick had its third highest on record.

In Nova Scotia, two people drowned in the storm. Rivers that hadn't flooded in 50 years were bursting at the seams. Floodwaters swept away countless bridges, washed out hundreds of roads and collapsed basement walls. Clogged streams spilled water onto road surfaces to a depth of 1.8 m in some areas. Washouts took up to five months to repair. For Nova Scotia, it was likely the most expensive rainstorm in the province's history, with losses to public infrastructure totaling $15.6 million. According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, the event caused an additional $14.3 million in insured damages to cars, homes and other properties - the highest insurance losses from weather in Atlantic Canada history - until Hurricane Juan.

Photos of the Truro (Nova Scotia) flood. March 31, 2003

Click on images to enlarge
All photos are courtesy of Mark Hingley.

For more information, please contact:
William Richards
Regional Climatologist
Atlantic Climate Centre
Meteorological Service of Canada
77 Westmorland St, Suite 400
Fredericton, NB E3B 6Z3
tel: 506-451-6032
fax: 506-451-6010
email: william.richards@ec.gc.ca