Here in the Maritimes we are subject to some of the most varied and powerful weather in North America. In a single year we can experience powerful winter storm, hurricanes, heat waves, and floods. As a meteorologist I have a keen interest in studying and documenting these events in order to improve my understanding of our weather and how it behaves. The following are what I considered to be 5 of the most impactful weather events here in the Maritimes for the calendar year of 2012.
Historic March Heat
After a mild winter a powerful high pressure system set itself up off the Atlantic coastline of the United Sates driving warm air from the Gulf States into the Maritimes. Daily high temperature records fell by the dozens on March 20th as temperatures soared into the mid to high 20’s. The days only grew hotter through until the 23rd. Halifax, Fredericton, and Charlottetown all set all time March high temperature records.
The heat came to an end Friday March 23rd after a cold front swept through the Maritimes bringing in cooler northwest winds.
Perth-Andover/Tobique First Nation Floods
While many in the Maritimes enjoyed the summer like heat in March the high temperatures contributed to a severe ice jam in the Saint John River in the vicinity of the New Brunswick village of Perth-Andover and Tobique First Nation.
A state of emergency was issued on March 23rd and some 500 people were evacuated from the affected region. River levels peaked as high as 77.46m and flood level waters remained through till Sunday March 25th. Many homes and businesses suffered flood damage as did the local hospital.
Easter Spring Snowstorm
It was an Easter weekend surprise of snow and not chocolate when a deep and retrograding low pressure system moved through the Maritimes April 7th and into the 8th. Snow in excess of 20 cm was dumped in parts of New Brunswick and amounts of over 10 cm for areas in Nova Scotia and PEI.
Along with the snow there were near whiteout conditions at times in blowing snow, pounding surf in coastal areas near the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Northumblerand Strait as well as numerous power outages. A steady southerly wind developed across the region in the following days ensuring a quick melt to the sudden spring snow.
July 7th Severe Thunderstorms
On Saturday, July 7th a trough of low pressure slammed into a hot and humid air mass over the Maritimes triggering a round of severe thunderstorms that moved across the region. At one point Severe Thunderstorm Watches and Warning spanned from New Brunswick into Nova Scotia. Power was knocked out for some 12,000 people in New Brunswick, lightning injured 2 people near Oromocto, and was thought also to be the cause of a house fire in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia.
Torrential September Rain
A slow moving cold front combined with tropical moisture being fed into the Maritimes by the passing Tropical Storm Leslie to produce and extreme rainfall event on Monday, September 10th. Localized flooding was widespread across Nova Scotia and PEI with one of the hardest hit towns being Truro, NS where the heavy rains arrived at the same time as a high tidal bore.
It wasn’t the last of the heavy rain for September, both Halifax and Charlottetown would go on to set all time record rainfall totals for a September at their respective airports.
