1998 North American Big Ice Storm
Winter Storm Causes Disaster in Eastern Canada and Northeastern USA
Starting January 5th 1998 and lasting for six days, freezing rain caused power outages, extensive property damage, and death.
What Caused the Great 1998 Ice Storm
Freezing rain is not unusual to Eastern Ontario, Southern Quebec, the Maritimes, Northeastern United States and New England. It is caused by a low-pressure warm front moving northward from the Gulf of Mexico colliding with a high-pressure Arctic cold front moving southward.
At the point of meeting, the warm air rises upward and it keeps the cold air underneath. The snow in the upper levels of the cold air mass starts to melt and as it falls, it doesn’t freeze until it hits the ground.
In the ice storm of 1998, there was no wind to move the air masses so the sky remained cloudy. As a result, the sun could not penetrate the heavy cloud cover and no melting occurred.
Why the 1998 Ice Storm Was the Worst on Record
The duration of precipitation was the longest on record. Usually ice storms last a few hours or at least have breaks in between. The worst hit cities of Ottawa and Montreal had 80 hours of precipitation. This was almost double the amount precipitation these cities receive in one year. The ice buildup (3 to 4 inches) was twice as thick as any previous storm recorded in the area.
The area affected by the ice storm was extremely large; it covered several thousand square miles. In Canada, it spread from eastern Ontario, through southern Quebec to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. In the United States, the ice storm affected Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York.
Damaged Caused by the 1998 Ice Storm
Thousands of power lines, utility poles and large transmission towers were pulled down by the weight of the ice. There were over millions of people without electricity and it took weeks to restore it in the rural areas.
Many stores, business and transportation services were shut down due to no electricity and treacherous conditions on roads, airports and railways.
Tens of thousand trees were damaged. Many fell into buildings and landed on cars. Branches pulled down utility lines and many streets were impassible.
Dairy farmers could not sell their milk and much of it had to be dumped. Farmers suffered losses to their crops, barns and livestock.
Areas of cities were blocked off due to the danger of falling ice. Bridges were closed due to falling ice and the additional weight of the ice causing stress on the structures.
Many residents had to go to emergency shelters due to damaged houses, no food, no heat and no electricity.
The Aftermath of the 1998 Ice Storm
Canadian Armed Forces were sent in to help evacuate residents, provide medical help, clear debris and help restore the power lines. They also guarded stores and businesses from potential looting.
Utility companies from six Canadian provinces and eight American states sent personnel to help rebuild the power grid, repair transmission towers and restore all other utilities.
According to Environment Canada:
- 28 people died, many from hypothermia,
- 945 people were injured.
- Over 4 million people in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick lost power.
- About 600,000 people had to leave their homes
- Estimated cost of the ice storm was $5,410,184,000.
- By June 1998, about 600,000 insurance claims totaling more than $1 billion were filed.
What started out as a cold drizzle, turned into six days of snow, freezing rain and ice pellets. That is why the ice storm of 1998 has been considered “the storm of the century”:
