Canada’s Top Ten Weather Stories of 2020
Canada is no stranger to wild and weird weather. Each year Environment and Climate Change Canada rounds up a list of the top ten weather stories that dominated the weather this year.
The Top Ten Weather Stories of 2020:
Calgary’s Billion-Dollar Hailer
BC’s September Skies: All Smoke, No Fire
Fort McMurray’s Flood of a Century
Endless Hot Summer in the East
St. John’s Snowmageddon
Record Hurricane Season and Canada Wasn’t Spared
The Year’s Most Powerful Tornado
Frigid Spring Helps Canadians Self-Isolate
Fall in Canada – Winter in the West and Summer in the East
August Long-Weekend Storms: East and West
Calgary, known as the hailstorm capital of Canada, topped the charts this year with the most damaging hailstorm in Canadian history. On June 13, hail the size of tennis balls was propelled by wind speeds up to 70 kilometres per hour, shaking houses, shattering windows, and downing trees.
In the second place, climate-induced wildfires in California and the American Northwest spread smoke northward into British Columbia and Alberta, forcing millions to face smoke-filled skies for nearly two weeks in September.
Among the other top weather events includes the record-breaking “Snowmageddon” in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, which brought 76 centimetres of snow to the city within an 18-hour period.
The top ten weather stories 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.
On Wednesday Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Senior Climatologist, David Phillips, and Physical Science Specialist, Chantal McCartin, presented the 25th annual edition of Canada’s Top Ten Weather Stories.