Looking Back: SEVERE Summer Weather in MANITOBA

[Alberta] [Saskatchewan] [Manitoba]

(Excerpts from The Canadian Weather Trivia Calendar)

• May 2, 1997: The crest of the Red River reached downtown Winnipeg at 7.49 m, about .6 m below dike level and some 8 m above the winter ice level. By this date, 27,000 Manitoba residents had been displaced. The military estimated that it had deployed more troops in Operation Noah, some 7,000, than the Korean War. More than five million sandbags were used.

• April 21, 1997: The flood of the century arrived in Manitoba, forcing thousands to flee the Red River Valley. Troops and volunteers worked around the clock to shore up dikes. Authorities even conscripted inmates from Stony Mountain Prison to help. Former Manitoba premier Duff Roblin opened the Red River floodgates to divert almost half of the river's flow east of the city.

• September 5, 1996: A thunderstorm accompanied by hail and vicious straight line winds reaching 120 km/h toppled 19 three-ton hydro transmission towers north of Winnipeg and threatened a massive blackout in the city. Manitoba Hydro was forced to buy power from the US while crews spent several days repairing lines. The violent storm also leveled grain bins and mowed down trees.

• April 12, 1996: Near-record winter snowfalls began to melt under abnormally warm weather across Manitoba. Clogged drainage ditches and river-ice jams added to the danger. Near Morden and Winkler, crews worked feverishly using backhoes, front end loaders and bulldozers to clear channels in snow clogged drainage ditches and break-up ice jams at culverts and bridges. Six cattle were swept down the river.

• July 16, 1996: Hailstones the size of fists bombarded Winnipeg, racking up close to $300 million in property losses. More than half the losses were for auto damage, making it the worst single disaster claim against the Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation in its 25-year history.

• June 24, 1992: For the second day in a row, tornadoes, large hail, and torrential downpours struck southern Manitoba. Near Morden, hail the size of tennis balls pelted the ground, while at Pilot Mound wind gusts reached 154 km/h. There were numerous funnel sightings and five confirmed tornado touchdowns.

• April 30, 1984: Up to 10 cm of ice and high winds brought power lines crashing down over a 50 km wide area in central Manitoba. Twelve steel transmission towers and more than 3,000 utility poles were damaged as a result of the severe icing. More than 5,000 hydro personnel arrived from all parts of the province to repair the damage. The loss of hydro poles was the largest and most costly in the utility's history.

• June 6, 1959: A tornado lifted an occupied garage and dashed it against the roof of a two-storey house in La Salle, MB, 15 km from Winnipeg. Remarkably, the car left behind was unscathed. The tornado could be seen from Winnipeg.