Report-breaking warmth in British Columbia topped Setting and Local weather Change Canada’s record of the highest climate occasions in Canada over the previous yr.
The climate company launched its annual record of high climate occasions on Thursday, with the warmth wave touchdown the highest spot, adopted intently by the current flooding in B.C.
In all, climate occasions in British Columbia have been no less than talked about in 5 of the ten submissions.
“Not in 26 years of releasing the Prime 10 Climate Occasions has there been something akin to this yr, the place Canadians endured such a stream of climate extremes,” Setting Canada acknowledged within the report.
“Though we can not attribute a single climate occasion to human-caused local weather change, the proof is conclusive — we’re experiencing extra intense and extra frequent excessive climate. Local weather change is resulting in extra frequent and extra intense disasters world wide.”
Here’s a detailed take a look at Setting Canada’s high climate occasions of 2021:
1. HEAT WAVE IN B.C.
On June 29, the city of Lytton, B.C. skilled a “Demise Valley second” when temperatures reached a brand new Canadian document of 49.6 C.
It was the third-consecutive day that Lytton had set a brand new Canadian warmth document. It was hotter in Lytton than has ever been recorded in each Europe and South America.
On June 30, a wildfire destroyed 90 per cent of the city, killing two individuals and displacing 1,200 others.
2. B.C. FLOODING
On Nov. 13, the primary of seven “atmospheric rivers” descended on the southern coast of British Columbia, the place large quantities of rain, mixed with the already soggy circumstances “created a flood of floods,” in response to Setting Canada.
The flooding left a number of highways both washed out or coated in particles, killed hundreds of livestock and wreaked havoc on Canada’s provide chain.
The company estimates it’s seemingly essentially the most damaging and costly climate catastrophe in Canadian historical past.
3. DROUGHT ACROSS CANADA
Historians in contrast the drought within the Prairies this summer time to the Nice Melancholy and by the top of the season, a number of communities had declared states of ecological catastrophe.
It was one of many driest summers in 75 years.
Per week earlier than Canadians have been set to reap their crops, the Canadian Drought Monitor categorized 99 per cent of the Prairie’s agricultural panorama as in a drought.
4. WILDFIRE SEASON
Canada’s wildfire season began a couple of month early in 2021 and resulted in about 2,500 extra wildfires than in 2020.
British Columbia alone reported 1,522 this yr and destroyed an space 1.5 occasions bigger than Prince Edward Island.
On July 10, there have been out-of-control wildfires in each province and territory besides Atlantic Canada and Nunavut.
5. FOUR HEAT WAVES
Canada’s summer time was the fifth warmest previously 74 years, prompting warmth information throughout the nation.
In whole, there have been 4 important warmth waves in 2021, outlined by humidex values above 40 levels, afternoons above 30 levels and nights above 20 levels.
6. TORNADOES
Whereas tornadoes with a score of two or greater are uncommon in Canada, there have been a number of that reached that classification this yr.
On June 21, a number of tornadoes — together with one EF2 — hit elements of Quebec and claimed the province’s first twister sufferer in 27 years. Upwards of 100 houses suffered main injury.
One other EF2 twister touched down in Barrie, Ont. on July 15, the place it broken 150 houses and practically 700 automobiles. There have been six different EF2 tornadoes that day, although they weren’t as damaging.
7. FEBRUARY DEEP FREEZE
Practically simultaneous Arctic blasts from Siberia and Greenland left Canada in a deep freeze for elements of February.
On the weekend of Feb. 14, each sq. kilometre of the nation was frozen, however the worst of it got here within the Prairies, the place some elements reached lows of -55 levels.
In Winnipeg, town’s document chilly of -38.8 levels on Feb. 13 was colder than the tip of Mount Everest.
At a charity hockey sport in Edmonton, the freezing temperatures contributed to pucks splitting aside after a collision with the submit.
8. HAILSTORM IN CALGARY
On July 2, a storm hit Calgary with 50 millimetres of rain and hail the scale of golf balls.
The storm led to clogged drains, flooding and sewer backups. In whole, it’s estimated to have price $555 million in insurance coverage claims.
A hailstorm in Calgary that induced $1 billion in damages was the highest climate occasion final yr.
9. HURRICANE LARRY
On Sept. 2, Hurricane Larry entered Canadian waters as a Class-2 hurricane, however didn’t make landfall in Newfoundland till Sept. 11.
The hurricane induced widespread outages within the province and eroded a number of roads alongside the shoreline, although most Newfoundlanders have been ready for the storm.
10. PRAIRIE CLIPPER
In mid-January, an atmospheric river within the Pacific Ocean introduced intense winds exceeding 100 kilometres per hour to Alberta and the Prairies.
Bratt’s Lake, Sask. report wind gusts of 143 kilometres per hour, whereas the Moose Jaw airport reported 161 kilometres per hour.
Rain within the space then turned to snow, leading to blizzard circumstances that left poor visibility all through the Prairies.
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