Hurricane Fiona is the next storm with the potential to make landfall in Canada, according to Environment Canada meteorologist Jim Prime. “One thing we usually say at the Canadian Hurricane Center is that it only takes one storm to have a really bad season and here we are: the first major hurricane of the season and it’s coming into Atlantic Canada,” Prime told CTVNews. ca in an interview on Thursday. Prime said every storm recorded throughout history is different and can affect areas that haven’t been hit before, so it’s important for residents to stay alert and prepared. Here’s a look at some past major hurricanes that made landfall in Canada and their impacts.
NEWFOUNDLAND HURRICANE – 1775
Known as Canada’s deadliest hurricane to date, the 1775 hurricane left more than 4,000 dead as it swept through the then-British colony of Newfoundland on September 9, 247 years ago. The Category 4 hurricane killed mostly sailors at sea, sinking several fishing boats and two British navy vessels, according to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). There were also reports of rising water levels reaching land between 6.5 and 10 meters high.
GALVESTON HURRICANE – 1900
Parts of eastern Canada faced devastation from Hurricane Galveston which began its path from Cuba as a tropical storm and became a Category 4 hurricane by the time it made landfall in Galveston, Texas. On September 11, 1900, it became an extratropical cyclone as it made its way through the Great Lakes and southeastern Canada where an estimated 52 to 232 lives were lost, according to Environment Canada. In the epicenter, it is reported that the tide reached 4.5 meters and more than 8,000 people were killed in the US, marking the deadliest weather disaster in US history.
HURRICANE HAZEL – 1954
One of the oldest hurricanes still remembered today is Hurricane Hazel, which hit southern Ontario on October 5, 1954. Hazel’s impact was felt strongly as winds of up to 110 km/h and 85 mm of rain washed away homes, roads , and bridges. The Category 4 hurricane made its way from the Caribbean to the mid-Atlantic states before becoming a Category 1 hurricane as it made landfall in the Toronto area. However, its powerful impact at the time left 81 dead, thousands homeless and reportedly caused $100 million in damage.
HURRICANE JUAN – 2003
A major hurricane returned to the Maritimes in the form of Hurricane Juan on September 29, 2003. The Category 2 storm made landfall in Nova Scotia before moving to Prince Edward Island as a borderline hurricane, according to Environment Canada. Average wind speeds reached 158 km/h and 25-40 mm of rainfall was reported in the Halifax area. Eight people were killed in Canada and an estimated 50-100 million trees fell in Nova Scotia within two hours. Hundreds of people in both provinces lost power and Nova Scotians were left in the dark for nearly two weeks.
HURRICANE IGOR – 2010
On September 20, 2010, Hurricane Igor passed Bermuda before tracking to Canada’s offshore Avalon Peninsula, where it unexpectedly continued to move further north reaching eastern Newfoundland. The storm recorded winds of up to 140 km/h and at one point 172 km/h at Cape Pine in SE NL. Several of the areas reported an average of 150 mm of rain, leaving more than 150 communities flooded and 70,000 residents without power. One death was also reported, one person washed away in the floods.
HURRICANE DORAN – 2019
One of Canada’s most recent weather disasters was Category 2 Hurricane Dorian, which made landfall in Atlantic Canada on September 7, 2019. The storm wreaked havoc as a Category 5 hurricane in the Bahamas before becoming a post-tropical cyclone when it reached the Maritime provinces and even parts of Quebec, according to NOAA. Wind speeds were estimated at 155 km/h and the Insurance Bureau of Canada reported more than $105 million in insured losses, most of which was reported by the hardest-hit province of Nova Scotia. Prime said Hurricane Fiona has a similar track to Dorian, which “had very strong winds, heavy rainfall and impacted New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI and Newfoundland, which will happen with this system as well.” .
