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The list of hurricanes in Canada refers to any tropical cyclone originating in the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean affecting the country of Canada.
Canada is usually only hit with weak storms, due to the generally cool waters immediately offshore. However, some hurricanes can strike the area full force as the warm Gulf Stream extends fairly close to Atlantic Canada. Due to the cool waters for a great distance from the Pacific coast of Canada, there has never been a storm of any intensity to directly affect the Pacific coast. On occasion tropical systems can transition into, or be absorbed by, non-tropical systems that strongly affect western Canada, most notably by the remnants of Typhoon Freda that were absorbed by the Columbus Day Storm of 1962.
According to the Canadian Hurricane Centre, Hurricane Ella of 1978 is the strongest tropical cyclone in Canadian waters, passing approximately 335 miles (539 km) south of Halifax, Nova Scotia as a Category 4 hurricane. Despite this however, Ella did not make landfall. [1] The strongest hurricane to make landfall in Canada was Hurricane Ginny of 1963, [2] which had winds of 105 mph (169 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 948 millibars (28.0 inHg), making it a Category 2 hurricane at the time of its landfall near Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. [1]
All tropical cyclones that either made a direct landfall in Canada, or made a notable close approach while so classified are included below. Sometimes, a hurricane will make landfall in the United States and continue northward to dissipate over (or partially over) Canada. Only a handful of storms that have taken this path have been devastating in Canada. Two examples of this include the 1900 Galveston hurricane and Hurricane Hazel in 1954. Systems that entered Canada from the U.S. after landfall are omitted from these lists, with being devastating, or notable cyclones. Many extratropical remnants of tropical cyclones have entered Canada. They are not included in this list unless they were particularly notable. This article also includes hurricanes that affected Newfoundland prior to its entry into Canada in 1949, and hurricanes that affected any Canadian provinces before confederation in 1867.
Many tropical storms and hurricanes struck present-day Canada during this time. The most damaging one struck Newfoundland in September 1775, killing thousands. To shorten this particular list, insignificant tropical storms and depressions are omitted.
| Type | Amount |
|---|---|
| Major Hurricanes (Cat 3+) | 2 |
| Hurricanes (Cat 1+) | 34 |
| Tropical System (Depression, Storm, and Hurricanes) | 79 |
| ExtraTropical and Tropical System (Extratropical storms and Tropical Systems) | 141 |
| Precipitation | Storm | Location | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | mm | in | |||
| 1 | 302.0 | 11.89 | Harvey 1999 | Oxford, NS | [35] |
| 2 | 249.9 | 9.84 | Beth 1971 | Halifax, NS | [36] |
| 3 | 238.0 | 9.37 | Igor 2010 | St. Lawrence, NL | [37] |
| 4 | 224.8 | 8.85 | Matthew 2016 | Sydney, NS | [38] |
| 5 | 213.6 | 8.41 | Hazel 1954 | Snelgrove, ON | [39] |
| 6 | 212.0 | 8.35 | Fiona 2022 | Cape North, NS | [40] |
| 7 | 210.0 | 8.26 | Earl 2022 | Paradise, NL | [41] |
| 8 | 191.0 | 7.52 | Bertha 1990 | Hunter's Mountain, NS | [42] |
| 9 | 185.0 | 7.28 | Sandy 2012 | Charlevoix, QC | [43] |
| 10 | 175.0 | 6.90 | Gabrielle 2001 | St. John's, NL | [44] |
| Month | Number of recorded systems making landfall in Canada while still tropical since 1950 |
|---|---|
| January | 0 |
| February | 0 |
| March | 0 |
| April | 0 |
| May | 0 |
| June | 0 |
| July | 4 |
| August | 6 |
| September | 13 |
| October | 5 |
| November | 1 |
| December | 0 |
Hurricane Juan was a significant tropical cyclone which caused extensive damage to parts of Atlantic Canada, being the tenth named storm and the sixth hurricane of the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season. Juan formed southeast of Bermuda on September 24 from a tropical wave that had tracked across the subtropical Atlantic Ocean. It tracked northward and strengthened over the warm waters of the Gulf Stream, reaching Category 2 strength on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale on September 27. The hurricane peaked in intensity with sustained winds of 105 mph (169 km/h) that same day, losing some strength as it raced over cooler waters toward the coast of Nova Scotia, before making landfall between Shad Bay and Prospect in the Halifax Regional Municipality early on September 29 as a Category 2 hurricane with winds of 100 mph (160 km/h). Juan retained hurricane strength while travelling through Nova Scotia, though it would weaken into a Category 1 hurricane over Prince Edward Island. Juan would eventually be absorbed by another extratropical low on September 29 near Anticosti Island in the northern Gulf of Saint Lawrence.
The 2001 Atlantic hurricane season was a fairly active Atlantic hurricane season that produced 17 tropical cyclones, 15 named storms, nine hurricanes, and four major hurricanes. The season officially lasted from June 1, 2001, to November 30, 2001, dates which by convention limit the period of each year when tropical cyclones tend to form in the Atlantic Ocean basin. The season began with Tropical Storm Allison on June 4, and ended with Hurricane Olga, which dissipated on December 6.
The 1975 Atlantic hurricane season was a near average hurricane season with nine named storms forming, of which six became hurricanes. Three of those six became major hurricanes, which are Category 3 or higher systems on the Saffir–Simpson scale. The season officially began on June 1 and lasted until November 30. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic Ocean.
The 2006 Atlantic hurricane season was the least active in the basin since 1997, with nine named storms as well as an additional unnamed tropical storm identified by the National Hurricane Center. 2006 was the first season since 2001 in which no hurricanes made landfall in the United States, and was the first since 1994 in which no tropical cyclones formed during October. Following the intense activity of 2003, 2004, and 2005, forecasters predicted that the 2006 season would be only slightly less active. Instead, it turned out to be a below average season, as activity was slowed by a rapidly forming moderate El Niño event, the presence of the Saharan Air Layer over the tropical Atlantic, and the steady presence of a robust secondary high-pressure area to the Azores High centered on Bermuda. There were no tropical cyclones after October 2.
The 1937 Atlantic hurricane season was a below-average hurricane season, featuring eleven tropical storms; of these, four became hurricanes. One hurricane reached major hurricane intensity, equivalent to a Category 3 or higher on the modern Saffir–Simpson scale. The United States Weather Bureau defined the season as officially lasting from June 16 to October 16. Tropical cyclones that did not approach populated areas or shipping lanes, especially if they were relatively weak and of short duration, may have remained undetected. Because technologies such as satellite monitoring were not available until the 1960s, historical data on tropical cyclones from this period are often not reliable. As a result of a reanalysis project which analyzed the season in 2012, a tropical storm and a hurricane were added to the Atlantic hurricane database (HURDAT). The official intensities and tracks of all storms were also revised by the reanalysis. The year's first storm formed on July 29 in the Gulf of Mexico, and the final system, a hurricane, dissipated over open ocean on October 21.
The 1932 Atlantic hurricane season featured several powerful storms, including the Cuba hurricane, which remains the deadliest tropical cyclone in the history of Cuba and among the most intense to strike the island nation. It was a relatively active season, with fifteen known storms, six hurricanes, and four major hurricanes. However, tropical cyclones that did not approach populated areas or shipping lanes, especially if they were relatively weak and of short duration, may have remained undetected. Because technologies such as satellite monitoring were not available until the 1960s, historical data on tropical cyclones from this period are often not reliable. The Atlantic hurricane reanalysis project discovered four new tropical cyclones, all of which were tropical storms, that occurred during the year. Two storms attained Category 5 intensity, the first known occurrence in which multiple Category 5 hurricanes formed in the same year. The season's first cyclone developed on May 5, while the last remaining system transitioned into an extratropical cyclone by November 13.
The 1927 Atlantic hurricane season was a relatively inactive season, with eight tropical storms, four of which became hurricanes. One of these became a major hurricane – Category 3 or higher on the modern day Saffir–Simpson scale. The first system, a tropical depression, developed on August 13, while the final cyclone, a tropical storm, merged with a cold front on November 21. No hurricane made landfall in the United States, in contrast to the four that struck the U.S. in the previous season.
The 1923 Atlantic hurricane season featured 11 tropical cyclones, 9 of which intensified into tropical storms, the most since 1916. Four of the tropical storms intensified into hurricanes, one of which reached major hurricane intensity—Category 3 or higher on the modern-day Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. No tropical storms or hurricanes formed in or entered the Caribbean Sea. The first known system, a tropical depression, formed on June 19, while the last known system, a tropical storm, transitioned into an extratropical cyclone on October 26. A total of Additionally, an October tropical depression was previously recognized as a tropical storm until reanalysis in 2009, while the first and third tropical storms were added to the Atlantic hurricane database that year. The sixth, seven, and eight storms as well as the October tropical depression existed simultaneously on October 16.
The 1917 Atlantic hurricane season featured nine known tropical cyclones, four of which became tropical storms. The first system appeared on July 6 east of the Windward Islands. After crossing the islands and traversing the Caribbean Sea, the storm struck Honduras, Belize, and Mexico, before dissipating on July 14. After more than three weeks without tropical cyclogenesis, another tropical storm developed west of Bermuda. As the storm brushed eastern New England, four ships sank near Nantucket, causing 41 fatalities. The same cyclone brought damaging winds to Nova Scotia before transitioning into an extratropical cyclone on August 10.
The 1904 Atlantic hurricane season featured no tropical cyclones during the months of July and August. The season's first cyclone was initially observed in the southwestern Caribbean on June 10. After this storm dissipated on June 14, the next was not detected until September 8. The sixth and final system transitioned into an extratropical cyclone offshore South Carolina on November 4. Two of the six tropical cyclones existed simultaneously.
The 1891 Atlantic hurricane season began during the summer and ran through the late fall of 1891. The season had ten tropical cyclones. Seven of these became hurricanes; one becoming a major Category 3 hurricane.
Hurricane Gustav was a Category 2 hurricane that paralleled the East Coast of the United States in September 2002 during the 2002 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the seventh named storm and first hurricane of the season. Initially a subtropical depression north of the Bahamas, Gustav passed just to the east of the Outer Banks, North Carolina as a tropical storm before traveling northeastward, making two landfalls in Atlantic Canada as a Category 1 hurricane. The storm was responsible for one death and $100,000 in damage, mostly in North Carolina. The interaction between Gustav and a non-tropical system produced strong winds that caused an additional $240,000 (2002 USD) in damage in New England, but this damage was not directly attributed to the hurricane.
Hurricane Karen was a hurricane of non-tropical origin that formed in October of the 2001 Atlantic hurricane season. It developed out of the interaction between a cold front and an upper level trough on October 10 located to the south of Bermuda, and quickly strengthened as an extratropical storm. The storm passed near Bermuda on October 12, producing hurricane-force winds on the island. It then organized, becoming a subtropical cyclone on October 12 and a tropical cyclone on October 13. Karen strengthened to reach 80 mph (130 km/h) winds as a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, and after weakening over cooler waters, it made landfall on Nova Scotia as a tropical storm. It quickly became extratropical.
Hurricane Michael of the 2000 Atlantic hurricane season caused widespread, but relatively minor damage in Atlantic Canada. The seventeenth tropical cyclone, thirteenth named storm, and eighth hurricane of the season, Michael developed from a non-tropical system to the southwest of Bermuda on October 15. The system was initially subtropical, but rapidly acquired tropical characteristics by October 17. Michael quickly strengthened into a hurricane later that day. By October 20, Michael peaked as a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale at a relatively high latitude of 44°N. The storm weakened slightly to a Category 1 hurricane and became extratropical shortly before making landfall in Newfoundland on October 20.
Hurricane Bertha caused minor damage in the United States, Bermuda, and Atlantic Canada in July and August 1990. The third tropical cyclone, second named storm, and first hurricane of the 1990 Atlantic hurricane season, Bertha developed from a frontal low pressure area offshore of North Carolina on July 24. Initially subtropical, it slowly acquired tropical characteristics while tracked southeast and then southwestward. By early on July 27, the cyclone was re-classified as a tropical depression. Following its transition, the depression intensified and was upgraded to Tropical Storm Bertha on July 28. The storm then curved northeastward and rapidly strengthened. Bertha became a hurricane early on July 29, though it weakened back to a tropical storm later that day. On the following day, Bertha re-intensified into a hurricane and peaked as an 80 mph (130 km/h) Category 1 hurricane on July 31.
The 1924 Atlantic hurricane season featured the first officially recorded Category 5 hurricane, a tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds exceeding 155 mph (249 km/h) on the modern-day Saffir–Simpson scale. The first system, Tropical Storm One, was first detected in the northwestern Caribbean Sea on June 18. The final system, an unnumbered tropical depression, dissipated on November 24. These dates fall within the period with the most tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic. Of the 13 tropical cyclones of the season, six existed simultaneously. The season was average with 11 tropical storms, five of which strengthened into hurricanes. Further, two of those five intensified into major hurricanes, which are Category 3 or higher on the Saffir–Simpson scale.
The 1873 Atlantic hurricane season was quiet, featuring only five known tropical cyclones, but all of them made landfall, causing significant impacts in some areas of the basin. Of these five systems, three intensified into a hurricane, while two of those attained major hurricane status. However, in the absence of modern satellite and other remote-sensing technologies, only storms that affected populated land areas or encountered ships at sea were recorded, so the actual total could be higher. An undercount bias of zero to six tropical cyclones per year between 1851 and 1885 and zero to four per year between 1886 and 1910 has been estimated.
The 1970 Canada hurricane was an unnamed tropical cyclone that brought impact to Bermuda and Newfoundland. The fourth hurricane and ninth tropical storm of the annual hurricane season, this system developed northeast of the Bahamas as a subtropical depression on October 12. While tracking northeastward, the system intensified, becoming a subtropical storm on the following day. The subtropical storm transitioned into a tropical cyclone on October 16, and strengthened into a hurricane about twelve hours later. The hurricane later bypassed Bermuda, before further intensifying into a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. Thereafter, the hurricane accelerated rapidly northeastward, and made landfall on the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland as a Category 1 hurricane. It transitioned into an extratropical cyclone early on October 17.
Hurricane Leslie was an Atlantic tropical cyclone that caused minor damage in Bermuda and Atlantic Canada in September 2012. The twelfth tropical cyclone of the annual hurricane season, Leslie developed from a tropical wave located nearly 1,500 miles (2,400 km) east of the Leeward Islands on August 30. About twelve hours later, it strengthened into Tropical Storm Leslie. Tracking steadily west-northwestward, it slowly intensified due to only marginally favorable conditions. By September 2, the storm curved north-northwestward while located north of the Leeward Islands. Thereafter, a blocking pattern over Atlantic Canada caused Leslie to drift for four days. Late on September 5, Leslie was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane. However, due to its slow movement, the storm causing upwelling, which decreased sea surface temperatures (SST's), weakening Leslie back to a tropical storm on September 7.
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