Eastern Canadian Blizzard of March 1971
Encyclopedia
The Eastern Canadian Blizzard of March 1971 was a severe winter storm
that struck portions of eastern Canada
from March 3 to March 5, 1971. The storm was also nicknamed the "Storm of the Century" in Quebec
. The event was the worst 24-hour snowfall event on record in the city of Montreal
with 43 centimetres (16.9 in) of snow falling on March 4, for a total of 47 centimetres (18.5 in). Higher terrain in eastern Quebec received as much as 80 centimetres (31.5 in). Heavy snowfall was also recorded in eastern Ontario
and northern New Brunswick
as well as parts of the Northeastern United States
. The storm itself was responsible for the deaths of 17 people in Montreal (30 province-wide) along with numerous other injuries directly and indirectly attributed to the blizzard
.
developed across the coastal United States
late on March 3, 1971. The system rapidly intensified as it moved towards the Northeast United States as well as Quebec and eastern Ontario
. The storm center had a rapid pressure drop to 966 millibars while it was centered over New York
before moving across New Brunswick
exiting the province of Quebec during the morning of March 5.
Snow started across most of the affected areas on March 3 with the peak of the storm during most of the day on March 4 where for a period of up to 17 hours there was at least moderate snow and blowing snow in Montreal. Visibility was also significantly reduced for nearly 24 hours. The 47 centimetres (18.5 in) received makes it one of the heaviest snowfalls on records for Montreal with the 43 centimetres (16.9 in) received on March 4 being the snowiest day on record.
Elsewhere across Quebec, 80 centimetres (31.5 in) of snow fell in the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve
north of Quebec City
while 65 centimetres (25.6 in) to 75 centimetres (29.5 in) of snow fell locally in the Gaspésie, Bas-Saint-Laurent
and Eastern Townships
regions south of the Saint Lawrence River
. Up to 40 centimetres (15.7 in) fell in the Ottawa
and Quebec City regions.
The heavy snow was accompanied by damaging wind gusts of near hurricane-force winds which created snowdrifts of up to two stories high in some places. Widespread power outage
s were reported and some were left without power for up to ten days. The city of Montreal was left paralyzed following the storm for a few days. Bus service was stopped and snowmobiles was the easiest transportation option possible throughout the city while bridges and roads were completely shut down. For the first time in over 50 years a Montreal Canadiens
National Hockey League
game at the Montreal Forum
was postponed. 17 people were killed in Montreal while there were several other injuries related to the storm. Fatalities were resulted by heart attacks or people stuck inside stranded vehicles. At least 2 people were killed in the Quebec City region and at least 30 fatalities were reported province-wide. It took at least 36 hours to clean-up the worst of the storm and to resume regular traffic although snow clearing operations lasted for several days. Initial damage estimates were at about $1 million (1971 dollars) for central Quebec including 50 homes that received roof damage. Businesses also sustained window damage some due to flying debris particularly in the Limoilou area of Quebec City.
Storms in December 1969 left 58 centimeters (23.2 inches) in three days across the city making that event the most significant snowfall event from one system. Other systems in 1954, 1955 and 2001 had higher total snowfalls for a single event making the 1971 even the fifth heaviest single-event snowfall.
The record snowfall may have been a contributing factor for a deadly mudslide in the town of Saint-Jean-Vianney
in May 1971 when heavy rains combined with already saturated grounds because of heavy melting snow formed a large sinkhole of about 600 meters wide and 30 meters deep. 31 people were killed by the mudslide.
Winter storm
A winter storm is an event in which the dominant varieties of precipitation are formed that only occur at low temperatures, such as snow or sleet, or a rainstorm where ground temperatures are low enough to allow ice to form...
that struck portions of eastern Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
from March 3 to March 5, 1971. The storm was also nicknamed the "Storm of the Century" in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. The event was the worst 24-hour snowfall event on record in the city of Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
with 43 centimetres (16.9 in) of snow falling on March 4, for a total of 47 centimetres (18.5 in). Higher terrain in eastern Quebec received as much as 80 centimetres (31.5 in). Heavy snowfall was also recorded in eastern Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and northern New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
as well as parts of the Northeastern United States
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
. The storm itself was responsible for the deaths of 17 people in Montreal (30 province-wide) along with numerous other injuries directly and indirectly attributed to the blizzard
Blizzard
A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong winds. By definition, the difference between blizzard and a snowstorm is the strength of the wind. To be a blizzard, a snow storm must have winds in excess of with blowing or drifting snow which reduces visibility to 400 meters or ¼ mile or...
.
Blizzard event
A coastal low pressure system, called a Nor'easterNor'easter
A nor'easter is a type of macro-scale storm along the East Coast of the United States and Atlantic Canada, so named because the storm travels to the northeast from the south and the winds come from the northeast, especially in the coastal areas of the Northeastern United States and Atlantic Canada...
developed across the coastal United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
late on March 3, 1971. The system rapidly intensified as it moved towards the Northeast United States as well as Quebec and eastern Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. The storm center had a rapid pressure drop to 966 millibars while it was centered over New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
before moving across New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
exiting the province of Quebec during the morning of March 5.
Snow started across most of the affected areas on March 3 with the peak of the storm during most of the day on March 4 where for a period of up to 17 hours there was at least moderate snow and blowing snow in Montreal. Visibility was also significantly reduced for nearly 24 hours. The 47 centimetres (18.5 in) received makes it one of the heaviest snowfalls on records for Montreal with the 43 centimetres (16.9 in) received on March 4 being the snowiest day on record.
Elsewhere across Quebec, 80 centimetres (31.5 in) of snow fell in the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve
Laurentian mountains
The Laurentian Mountains are a mountain range in southern Quebec, Canada, north of the St. Lawrence River and Ottawa River, rising to a highest point of 1166 metres at Mont Raoul Blanchard, north east of Quebec City in the Reserve Faunique des Laurentides. The Gatineau, L'Assomption, Lièvre,...
north of Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
while 65 centimetres (25.6 in) to 75 centimetres (29.5 in) of snow fell locally in the Gaspésie, Bas-Saint-Laurent
Bas-Saint-Laurent
The Bas-Saint-Laurent region is located along the south shore of the lower Saint Lawrence River in Quebec.It has a population of 200,653 and a land area of 22,232.11 km² .-Subdivisions:...
and Eastern Townships
Eastern Townships
The Eastern Townships is a tourist region and a former administrative region in south-eastern Quebec, lying between the former seigneuries south of the Saint Lawrence River and the United States border. Its northern boundary roughly followed Logan's Line, the geologic boundary between the flat,...
regions south of the Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
. Up to 40 centimetres (15.7 in) fell in the Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
and Quebec City regions.
The heavy snow was accompanied by damaging wind gusts of near hurricane-force winds which created snowdrifts of up to two stories high in some places. Widespread power outage
Power outage
A power outage is a short- or long-term loss of the electric power to an area.There are many causes of power failures in an electricity network...
s were reported and some were left without power for up to ten days. The city of Montreal was left paralyzed following the storm for a few days. Bus service was stopped and snowmobiles was the easiest transportation option possible throughout the city while bridges and roads were completely shut down. For the first time in over 50 years a Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
game at the Montreal Forum
Montreal Forum
The Montreal Forum was an indoor arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Called "the most storied building in hockey history" by Sporting News, it was home of the National Hockey League's Montreal Maroons from 1924 to 1938 and the Montreal Canadiens from 1926 to 1996...
was postponed. 17 people were killed in Montreal while there were several other injuries related to the storm. Fatalities were resulted by heart attacks or people stuck inside stranded vehicles. At least 2 people were killed in the Quebec City region and at least 30 fatalities were reported province-wide. It took at least 36 hours to clean-up the worst of the storm and to resume regular traffic although snow clearing operations lasted for several days. Initial damage estimates were at about $1 million (1971 dollars) for central Quebec including 50 homes that received roof damage. Businesses also sustained window damage some due to flying debris particularly in the Limoilou area of Quebec City.
| City | Snowfall Amounts | |
|---|---|---|
| Mont Apica RCAF Station Mont Apica RCAF Mont Apica was a radar station of the Pinetree Line, located in Mont-Apica, Quebec, Canada, during the Cold War. The station opened in 1952 and had a staff of some 500 persons at its peak. Political and technological changes made the station redundant and it closed in 1990. The radar... |
80.2 cm (32.1 in) |
|
| Upton Upton, Quebec Upton is a municipality in the Regional County Municipality of Acton, in the province of Quebec, Canada. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 1,954.-Population:Population trend... |
72.5 cm (29 in) |
|
| Gaspé Gaspé, Quebec Gaspé is a city at the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula in the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region of eastern Quebec, Canada. As of the 2006 census, the city had a total population of 14,819.... |
58.4 cm (23.4 in) |
|
| Saint-Hubert Saint-Hubert, Quebec Saint-Hubert is a borough in the city of Longueuil, located in the Montérégie region of Quebec, Canada. It had been a separate city prior to January 1, 2002, when it along with several other neighbouring south shore municipalities were merged into Longueuil. According to the Quebec Statistics... (Longueuil Longueuil Longueuil is a city in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is the seat of the Montérégie administrative region and sits on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River directly across from Montreal. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census totaled 229,330, making it the third largest city in... ) |
58 cm (23.2 in) |
|
| Trois-Rivières Trois-Rivières Trois-Rivières means three rivers in French and may refer to:in Canada*Trois-Rivières, the largest city in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada*Circuit Trois-Rivières, a racetrack in Trois-Rivières, Quebec... |
52.1 cm (20.8 in) |
|
| Drummondville | 51.6 cm (20.6 in) |
|
| Joliette | 48 cm (19.2 in) |
|
| Montreal Montreal Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America... (Dorval Airport) |
47 cm (18.8 in) |
|
| Sherbrooke | 30.5-45.7 cm (12.2-18.3 in) |
|
| Quebec City Quebec City Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest... |
44.3 cm (17.7 in) |
|
| Hull Hull, Quebec Hull is the central and oldest part of the city of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. It is located on the west bank of the Gatineau River and the north shore of the Ottawa River, directly opposite Ottawa. As part of the Canadian National Capital Region, it contains offices for twenty thousand... -Ottawa Ottawa Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario... |
30–40 cm (12–16 in) |
|
| CFB Bagotville Saguenay, Quebec Saguenay is a city in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada, on the Saguenay River, about north of Quebec City.... (Saguenay) |
19.3 cm (7.7 in) |
|
| All amounts are snowfall only | ||
Historical perspective
The 1970-1971 winter season was the worst on record for many areas of eastern Ontario and southern Quebec in terms of all-time snowfall records. Ottawa had received up to 444 centimeters of snow (177.6 inches) that year and Montreal just over 380 centimeters (152 inches), records that were nearly broken during the 2007-08 season when Ottawa received 436 centimeters (174.4 inches) and Montreal 375 centimeters (150 inches). Quebec City also received had their worst season in 1970-71 with 460 centimeters (184 inches) before it was broken in 2007-08 when just over 500 centimeters (200 inches) fell.Storms in December 1969 left 58 centimeters (23.2 inches) in three days across the city making that event the most significant snowfall event from one system. Other systems in 1954, 1955 and 2001 had higher total snowfalls for a single event making the 1971 even the fifth heaviest single-event snowfall.
The record snowfall may have been a contributing factor for a deadly mudslide in the town of Saint-Jean-Vianney
Saint-Jean-Vianney, Quebec
Saint-Jean-Vianney was a village in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, which was abandoned after it was partially destroyed in a landslide on May 4, 1971.-History:...
in May 1971 when heavy rains combined with already saturated grounds because of heavy melting snow formed a large sinkhole of about 600 meters wide and 30 meters deep. 31 people were killed by the mudslide.
External links
- CRIACC Commemorative report on the Montreal Storm of the Century
- Hourly Observations at Trudeau International Airport on March 4, 1971
- Hourly Observations at Ottawa International Airport on March 4, 1971
- http://www.climate.weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/climateData/hourlydata_e.html?timeframe=1&Prov=CA&StationID=5251&Year=1971&Month=3&Day=4&Hourly Observation at Québec/Jean Lesage International AirportQuébec/Jean Lesage International AirportQuébec City Jean Lesage International Airport, also known as Jean Lesage International Airport was established in 1939, a year after the closure of the Aérodrome Saint-Louis. It is located west southwest of Quebec City, Quebec, Canada...
on March 4, 1971] - Radio-Canada video of the Blizzard of 1971