A squash, decimated by hail in early August at Molnar's Taber Corn. (Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Alberta made four of Canada’s top 10 weather stories of 2019

Dec 19, 2019 | 11:03 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Environment Canada has published its list of the top 10 weather stories of 2019.

“Canadians had plenty to “weather” in 2019: Winter froze and buried us; summer soaked and frightened us, and, occasionally, baked us. It was the shorter spring and fall seasons that brought the most destructive and disruptive weather.”

For the 12 most catastrophic weather events, the Insurance Bureau of Canada estimates that each cost more than $25-million.

The third biggest story of the year was the “sNo-good Prairie fall.” Areas like Calgary saw their greatest depth of snow in 65 years in late September, while areas like Waterton, Pincher Creek, and the Crowsnest Pass more more than a metre of snow.

At number four, Environment Canada talks about “A brutal Febrrruary in Canada.” Calgary had its coldest night in 83 years and the region was 14 degrees colder than normal.

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Number six is titled, “On the Prairies…too dry early, too wet later.”

“Before the growing season even got underway, ranchers and farmers were facing some of the driest winter-spring conditions in 133 years of record keeping. In some of the southern regions, the amount of moisture and rain had been running low for more than two years,” reads the writeup from Environment Canada.

Come August, one storm in particular ravaged some farms in southern Alberta, with hail the size of golf balls wiping out nearly all of the crops at Molnar’s Taber Corn coupled with winds that were the equivalent of an EF1 tornado.

The final weather story on the list, number 10, is how there were fewer fires, but more burning in Alberta.

“The number of fires was on par with 2018, but the area that fire consumed was nearly 14 times greater, making it the second worst season on record.”

More than 10,000 Albertans were forced to evacuate due to fires like the 280,000 hectare Chuckegg Creek wildfire.

“Fires in Alberta burned 883,000 hectares this year, making it the second greatest area burned in 60 years, and four times the 25-year average.”

You can see the full “Canada’s top 10 weather stories of 2019” from Environment Canada through this link.