A wildfire that left a third of the popular Rocky Mountain tourist town of Jasper, Alta., in ashes and forced tens of thousands to flee is Environment and Climate Change Canada’s most impactful weather story of 2024.
The weather agency released its annual top 10 list of the country's most impactful weather stories, ranked by severity, human and economic impact, the extent of area affected and the event’s longevity as a top news story.
Stories of devastating wildfires, record-breaking rainfall and a costly hailstorm were recognized this year.
Meteorologist Jennifer Smith said Canada is increasingly becoming a place where weather extremes are the new normal.
"This year's most impactful weather stories -- from destructive wildfires in both the east and the west, to abundant summer rainfall in Ontario and Quebec, to scorching Arctic heat -- offer vivid examples of these profound and uneven changes," she told reporters Tuesday.
"They remind us that climate change is no longer a distant issue but a present reality."
Smith said a warming atmosphere increases the intensity of events, like heat waves making perfect conditions for wildfires while also intensifying heavy rain in other areas, because warmer air can hold more moisture.
In July, the wildfire that hit Jasper National Park and the town of Jasper was one of the costliest events in the park's history.
It cut off road access through the park and forced the townsite's 5,000 residents, along with about 20,000 park visitors, to flee through smoke and falling ashes.
Flames scorched about 350 homes and businesses. Officials estimated $283 million in lost property value.
The Insurance Bureau of Canada said the fire caused at least $880 million in insured damage, which is considered the ninth-highest natural disaster insurance payout in Canadian history.
The fire not only devoured homes but scorched much of the natural landscape. Experts believe it could take more than a century for the burned forest to return to its postcard-perfect form.
To the east, Quebec, Ontario and Atlantic Canada bore the brunt of this year's hurricane season to reach number 2 on the list.
Hurricane Beryl began forming in late June. Remnants of the deadly and destructive storm soaked parts of Ontario and Quebec. Heavy rain also backed up sewers and flooded highway underpasses, garages and basements on the Island of Montreal.
Some areas of Atlantic Canada were hit in July with flash flooding and washed-out roads. A boy in Wolfville, N.S., was swept into a ditch and drowned.
In August, remnants of Hurricane Debby knocked out power to half a million residents in Quebec. Several parts of the province were hit with record-breaking rain that washed out roads and flooded basements.
About 300 people were evacuated from their homes, while another 1,300 were stranded. A man in his 80s died after he was swept into the Batiscan River.
A January deep freeze that hit Western Canada was number 3.
An arctic air mass descended on parts of British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan, plummeting temperatures to -40 C in some areas.
The icy blast crippled daily life on the coast of B.C., as flights were cancelled, roads became perilous and emergency services dealt with an influx in calls.
"It was a brutal reminder that arctic air has a reach far beyond the North," said Smith.
Also listed as top weather events: a winter wallop in Cape Breton and the contrast of Albertans shivering while those in the Maritimes sizzled in summer heat.
There was also notable flooding in southern Ontario, wildfires in western Labrador, an unusual heat wave in the Arctic and back-to-back atmospheric rivers in British Columbia.
In Calgary, an August storm brought significant hail, strong wind, heavy rain and flooding, affecting about one in five homes.
Hailstones as big as golf balls hammered the tarmac at Calgary International Airport, damaging WestJet and Flair Airlines planes and forcing the companies to ground 10 per cent of their fleet for repairs and inspections.
Dr. Melissa Lem, a family physician and president of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, said this year's extreme weather events paint a "stark picture" of the escalating health crisis caused by climate change.
"While we can’t prevent all extreme weather, we can stop it from worsening if we act now to rapidly reduce our fossil fuel emissions and transition to clean energy solutions," she said in a statement.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 10, 2024.
Brittany Hobson, The Canadian Press
