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The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) has issued a report revealing that a March winter storm that affected parts of Eastern Canada led to considerable insured damage.
Citing data from Catastrophe Indices and Quantification, the bureau said that the winter storm that hit Ontario on March 14 and later moved into Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in the following days leading up to March 16 caused more than $124 million in insured damage.
The storm brought “dramatic temperature changes and heavy rainfall,” which resulted in snowmelt and flooding in the affected areas.
Before the anticipated heavy rain began mid-morning on March 14, flood warnings were issued across Ontario. The storm first hit the northwestern area and then later spread eastward through Ontario and southern Quebec, IBC said. Rain conditions in eastern Ontario and southern Quebec persisted on the evening of March 15, ending on March 16. However, weather conditions changed into light flurries for Quebec.
Southern and central New Brunswick began to feel the effects of the storm on March 15, which even encroached into western and northern Nova Scotia. Rain turned to drizzle in the evening, which lasted until March 16. Halifax Airport reported 80 km/h gusts, while Nova Scotia recorded 15 to 60 mm of rainfall in various parts of the province.
IBC noted that there were reports of water damage and flooding throughout Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada. The bureau offered a breakdown of the insured damage costs, with Ontario recording $53 million, Quebec with $63 million, New Brunswick with $1.8 million, and Nova Scotia with $6.6 million.
