Extreme Events
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![thunderbolt](/web/20061209191737im_/http://www.mb.ec.gc.ca/air/summersevere/images/cartoonbolt.jpg) |
Looking Back:
SEVERE Summer Weather
in SASKATCHEWAN |
![thunderbolt](/web/20061209191737im_/http://www.mb.ec.gc.ca/air/summersevere/images/cartoonbolt.jpg) |
[Alberta] [Saskatchewan]
[Manitoba]
(Excerpts from The Canadian Weather Trivia Calendar)
July 3, 2000: 330 millimetres of rain fell on the
community of Vanguard in an eight hour period. Due to extensive flooding,
roads leading into the community and surrounding area were either destroyed
or made impassable. There was significant property damage both in town
and to the surrounding farmland.
1997 and 1999 Spring Flooding: High spring runoffs
over Southwest Saskatchewan in 1997 forced several people in various
communities to flee their homes. In the spring of 1999 runoff and rainfall
flooded large areas of southeast Saskatchewan and as a result several
thousands of acres of land were kept out of production.
July 4, 1996: The Saskatoon, Maymont and Osler area
was struck by a severe weather outbreak which produced an estimated
9 tornadoes, extremely strong plow winds and softball sized hail. Power
lines were destroyed in the Maymont area by an F3 tornado, homes and
property in the Osler area were damaged by tornadoes, wind and hail,
while Saskatoon experienced severe winds which damaged many trees and
properties, particularly in the east end. Winds gusts of 120 km/h
and 141 km/h were measured by meteorological instruments in the
Saskatoon area (Saskatoon airport and Kernan Farms respectively).
June 25, 1996: Cooler weather and some precipitation
over several days helped fire crews extinguish the Wasaw fire, which
had been burning in Prince Albert National Park for two weeks. The blaze,
thought to have been started by a lightning strike on June 12,
consumed 2,170 hectares in the northeastern portion of the park.
April 9, 1996: As temperatures in parts of southern
Saskatchewan rose to almost 20 degrees from the 9th
to the 12th, the winter's above average accumulation of snow
melted, resulting in severe flooding. In Regina, more than 80,000 sandbags
were stacked along Wascana Creek for several kilometres through the
city, with another 40,000 on standby.
June 15, 1995: Described as a plough wind, powerful
wind gusts in a sudden downward draft of cold, wet air from a thunderstorm
fanned straight across Fillmore, SK. Winds exceeding 100 km/h
blew the roof off the grain elevator, broke a radio tower, toppled a
chimney on a church, and damaged dozens of buildings. Puddles with as
much as 50 mm of rain formed in 15 minutes.
July 8, 1989: Tornado force winds and hail caused
considerable damage to buildings and cars in several towns and farms
in southeastern Saskatchewan. In Peebles, the general store and the
skating/curling rink were blown into the bush about 3 km from where
they had originally stood.
August 3, 1985: After more than 380 mm of rain
fell on Parkman SK, two brothers made the best of a bad situation and
went water-skiing on their wheatfield.
May 21, 1979: A tornado tore off part of an annex
roof from a Wheat Pool elevator in Regina. The funnel cloud also destroyed
a farmhouse and barn and sent a truck flying across the yard.
August 11, 1972: Severe thunderstorms raked through
southeastern Saskatchewan, producing high winds and hail larger than
the size of golf balls. Yorkton had damage of two million dollars. Canada's
largest hailstone (10 cm diameter, 290 grams) fell from one
of these storms near Cedoux.
May 30, 1961: A huge thunderstorm dumped more than
250 millimetres of precipitation in less than an hour over the
hamlet of Buffalo Gap, around 150 kilometres south of Regina. Rainfall
totals exceeded 75 millimetres within 100 kilometres of the
most intense rainfall. Hail as large as small eggs fell piling as high
as 4 metres deep in some places. Strong winds also accompanied
the rain and hail, but incredibly no fatalities and very few injuries
took place. A remarkable note to add is that this event took place in
the driest year on record over the remainder of southern Saskatchewan.
July 1, 1944 (Lebret) and Aug 9, 1944
(Kamsack): Two devastating tornadoes hit in the same year killing four
people at Lebret and three at Kamsack. In addition almost 75 percent
of Kamsack's homes and 100 businesses were wrecked.
June 16, 1943: Canadian and American governments
banned the publishing and broadcasting of weather information, for fear
it would fall into enemy hands. Even baseball announcers were prevented
from commenting on the weather. When the play was suspended because
of rain, one announcer supposedly told his audience to "stick your
head out of the window if you don't understand the reason for the suspension".
The Dirty Thirties (~1929 - 1938): Widely considered
to be the most significant drought in Saskatchewan - although many would
state that the eighties were just as dry. The years of 1936 to 1938
were the worst with 12,831 of the province's farms being abandoned in
1936 alone. Dustorms lasted for days during this period, and the highest
temperature ever recorded in Canada occurred at Midale and Yellowgrass
on July 5th 1937 when the mercury rose to 45°C.
- June 30, 1912: Known more popularly as the "Regina Cyclone"
this tornado was the worst in Canadian history in terms of
deaths. Twenty-eight people died, hundreds were injured, and property
damage totalled four million dollars with 500 buildings damaged or destroyed.
The tornado started 18 kilometres south of the city and continued for
another 12 kilometres north before dissipating.
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