Canada's Winter Weather Records Include The Biggest Single-Day Snowfall & -91 C Wind Chill
The snowstorms of the century will send a chill down your spine! 🥶
Canada is known for extreme winter weather like blizzards, frigid temperatures and ice storms, and the country's weather records are pretty intense!
Environment Canada has a list of the top weather events of the 20th century in Canada which includes snowstorms of the century, -91 C wind chill, multi-day blizzards and the biggest single-day snowfall in Canadian history.
Here are a few of the Canadian winter weather records from 1900 to 1999 and some of them are guaranteed to send a chill down your spine.
​Ontario's coldest day on record
On December 29, 1933, 14 places in Ontario recorded their coldest-ever temperature including Ottawa at -38.9 C and Algonquin Park at -45 C.
Outside of Ontario, record-breaking cold temperatures were experienced in Manitoba, Quebec and Nova Scotia.
Greatest single-day snowfall on record in Canada
On February 11, 1999, a Canadian single-day snowfall record was set in Tahtsa Lake, B.C. when 145 centimetres of snow came down!
Despite the heavy snowfall, it wasn't enough to break the world record of 192 centimetres that fell at Silver Lake, Colorado on April 15, 1921.
​Toronto's snowstorm of the century
A series of snowstorms buried Toronto from January 2 to January 15, 1999.
In what's called the city's snowstorm of the century, almost a year's amount of snow fell in less than two weeks!
That was the greatest January snowfall total in Toronto's history with 118.4 centimetres and the greatest snow on the ground at any one time with 65 centimetres.
​Record-breaking wind chill
On January 28, 1989, a record-breaking wind chill happened in Canada.
The temperature in Pelly Bay, Northwest Territories was -51 C and the wind made it even colder, dropping down to -91 C.
​Coldest temperature in North America
The coldest temperature in North America was recorded on February 3, 1947, when the temperature dropped down to -63 C in Snag, Yukon.
​Eastern Ontario's freezing rain storm
From December 28 to December 30, 1942, a freezing rain storm left ice "as thick as a person's wrist" on telephone wires, trees and railway tracks in eastern Ontario.
​Montreal's snowstorm of the century
Montreal's worst snowstorm on record happened on March 4, 1971, when 47 centimetres of snow fell on the city and 110 km/h winds created snow drifts that were two storeys high.
Downed powerlines meant people were without electricity for up to 10 days.
​Toronto's worst single-day snowfall
On December 11, 1944, a severe winter storm dropped 48 centimetres of snow on Toronto's downtown and gale-force winds piled the snow into massive drifts.
That was Toronto's worst single-day snowfall and a total of 57.2 centimetres came down over two days.
​Blizzards in southern Alberta
A series of intense winter storms dropped a record-breaking 175 centimetres of snow on southern Alberta from April 17 to April 20 and April 27 to April 29, 1967.
Army units assisted with snow clearing and food, fuel and feed for animals had to be airlifted into the province.