ECCC unveils top 10 weather stories of 2021

ECCC – Not in 26 years of releasing the Top 10 Weather Events has there been anything comparable to this year, where Canadians endured such a stream of weather extremes, according to a year-end report from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).

In 2021, Canadians witnessed the real threat and impact of climate change all around them and were shocked by the variety and frequency of weather extremes.

1. Record heat under the dome

The village of Lytton, B.C. in the Fraser Valley saw temperatures more akin to Death Valley, setting a new national record at 49.6 degrees Celsius on June 29, 25 degrees higher than normal. It was the third straight day temperatures reached or exceeded 45˚C in the community as a ‘heat dome’ settled over most of Western Canada for the final 10 days of June. The scorching heat broke more temperature records, killing 600 people and more than 650,000 farm animals. However, Lytton was most affected when a wildfire destroyed 90 per cent of the community on June 30.

2. B.C.’s flood of floods

Starting on Nov. 13, atmospheric rivers brought massive amounts of rain onto B.C.’s south coast and interior over the span of two days. Two hundred to 300 millimetres of rain fell on some areas, triggering mudslides, flooding in the interior and prompting evacuations. The storm also caused the closures of highways and railways, disrupting transportation routes and supply chains.

3. Canada dry coast-to-coast

Nearly all agricultural land in the Prairies was severely affected by the worst drought in the region since 1988. A dry winter combined with the driest summer in 75 years exacerbated conditions and sharply reduced crop yields. Parts of B.C., Ontario and Quebec also faced moisture deficits.

4. Wildfire season – early, active and unrelenting

B.C. reported 1,522 fires from late June to September, scorching nearly 900,000 hectares of timber, an area 1.5 times the size of Prince Edward Island, 60 times the area burned in 2020 and the third most ever. Air quality was reduced in most of Western Canada and in northwestern Ontario. On July 10, wildfires and forest fires were reported in every province and territory except in Atlantic Canada and Nunavut.

5. Canada rides out four heat waves

The summer of 2021 was the fifth-warmest recorded in 74 years in no small part due to four separate heat waves occurring from late May to August. These heat waves helped temperatures exceed 30˚C and humidex values surpass 40˚C. Every province was affected by at least one of these heat waves.

6. Year of the EF2 tornado

Eight per cent of all tornadoes in Canada reached EF2 in the Enhanced Fujita Scale with wind speeds between 180 and 220 kilometres per hour. On June 21, tornadoes hit the municipalities of St-Valentin and Mascouche, Que., damaging up to 100 homes and causing the province’s first tornado fatality in 27 years. A series of six EF2 tornadoes damaged 150 homes and left a trail of destruction 12.5 km long near Barrie, Ont. on July 15.

7. Dreaded Arctic blast freezes Canada in February

A system coming from the Arctic brought a blast of cold air to the Prairies, plunging temperatures 20 degrees below normal in mid-February. At the same time, another system over Greenland brought temperatures 20 degrees above normal over Baffin Island. During the second week of February, more than 225 low temperature records were broken across Western Canada and Yukon. Prior to the cold snap, the average afternoon temperature in Winnipeg from November to January was the warmest on record.

8. Another hailer-flooder in Calgary

Thunderstorms over Calgary on July 2 brought 50 mm of rain, moderate-strength winds and copious amounts of hail ranging in size from dimes to golf balls. Total storm losses from 39,000 insurance claims exceeded C$550 million, as well as C$128 million more for damaged windshields, hulls and house siding.

9. Hurricane Larry belonged to Newfoundland

Hurricane Larry entered Canadian waters on Sept. 10 as a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 155 km/h. On midnight the next day, it was a Category 1 storm as it made landfall on the Avalon Peninsula with winds gusting to 130 to 180 km/h. More than 60,000 customers lost power and damages exceeded C$25 million.

10. January prairie clipper

An Alberta clipper raced across Alberta and Saskatchewan with reported wind gusts of up to 160 km/h during the second week of January. A blizzard followed, bringing snow and wind and causing more than 100,000 residents to lose power, some for four days. Insurance claims totalled C$155 million across the four Western Canadian provinces.