Dec 17, 2020 7:22 AM
(Photo courtesy JTFA | FOIA via Twitter.)
COVID-19 may have dominated the news in 2020, but that’s not the only thing that’s made headlines.
2020 was also a year with extreme weather across the globe.
Environment and Climate Change Canada counted down the top 10 weather stories in Canada this year.
On that list at number five is Newfoundland’s very own Snowmageddon.
David Phillips, Senior Climatologist with Environment Canada, says you know it’s bad in St. John’s when a state of emergency had to be called for the first time in 36 years.
The city was entombed in snow, as the snow was built up to the rooftops of some houses. He says you know it’s tough when there is an avalanche in the Battery, and the military had to go in and help dig out residents.
366
A hailstorm that caused one billion dollars in damages in Calgary is the top weather story of 2020
Canada’s Top Ten Weather Stories of 2020 are ranked from 1 to 10, according to factors that include the impact they had on Canada and Canadians, the extent of the affected area, economic impacts, and longevity as a top news story.
The Top Ten Weather Stories of 2020
Calgary’s Billion-Dollar Hailer
Fort McMurray’s Flood of a Century
Endless Hot Summer in the East
St. John’s Snowmageddon
The Year’s Most Powerful Tornado
Frigid Spring Helps Canadians Self-Isolate
Fall in Canada – Winter in the West and Summer in the East
BARRIE, ONT. The pandemic may be the top story of 2020, but the weather has also significantly impacted Canadians this year. Environment Canada announced its 25th annual top 10 weather stories for 2020 on Wednesday. Senior climatologist Dave Phillips added record highs and lows, tornadoes, flooding and hurricanes to the list, but it was a hailstorm in Calgary that topped them all. The storm caused $1.3 billion in insurable damages. The most expensive hailstorm in Canadian history, Phillips said. The hailstorm on June 13 lasted just moments, but it pounded the area with baseball-sized ice balls propelled in 70km/h winds. Calgary s Billion-dollar Hailer